GAIL Gas Limited, the City Gas Distribution (CGD) company, has a goal of adding 50,000 domestic connections for Piped Natural Gas (PNG) supply every year in Bengaluru. However, many problems, especially that of having to reroute their pipelines due to other civic utilities using the same route, have affected the progress of the project. Before the end of this financial year, the company plans to achieve a goal of 35,000 new connections.
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“This year, we could not achieve the 50,000 target mainly because we could not work properly for two to three months due to the State elections,” Hirdesh Kumar, Chief General manager (CGD) & Officer In- Charge Bengaluru, GAIL Gas Limited told The Hindu.
35 more CNG stations
Under CGD project, GAIL Gas has been providing Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to domestic, commercial and industrial customers.
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Since February 2015, after being authorised by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), GAIL Gas has laid around 2,000 kilometres of pipeline in Bengaluru. While 2.5 lakh households have been connected with the pipeline, only 80,000 households have been availing supply of PNG. A total of 4 lakh residents from the city have registered for domestic PNG supply, officials from GAIL Gas said.
“All the prominent builders, Government, PSU/Army /Institutions Quarters and colonies are opting for PNG,” they added. Apart from domestic supply, GAIL Gas is also supplying PNG to around 215 commercial establishments, 178 industrial units and has also set up 102 CNG stations in the city. By March 2024, the company plans to set up 35 more CNG stations.
Limitations in urban localities
Despite citizens becoming more aware of the benefits of natural gas, GAIL Gas continues to face some hurdles, which are unique to urban localities in the city. “Bengaluru has a lot of potential when it comes to natural gas supply, but there are several limitations to lay pipeline. Sometimes we have to reroute already laid pipelines due to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) and Bangalore Metropolitan Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) network expansion,” Mr. Kumar said.
Officials also said that the presence of other utilities also makes it difficult to excavate in certain areas as it would not be safe. The huge amount of traffic on roads also results in less excavation space and less work area to lay pipelines. “Sometimes, there will also be delays in obtaining approval from BBMP as it has to pass through various levels,” Mr. Kumar said.
In October last year, the State cabinet gave its nod to implementation of the State policy for the development of CGD network in Karnataka. GAIL Gas expects this move to accelerate the implementation of PNG and CNG projects.