Piped natural gas project makes headway in Kadapa district

AG&P Pratham, which secured the license from Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, plans to cover 50,000 households in Kadapa city and the adjoining mandals, of which over 12,000 households have already registered for the same.

Representational image only.

The ambitious project to bring every household into Piped Natural Gas (PNG) grid is steadily making headway in Kadapa district.

PNG, said to be a convenient, economical, clean and safe fuel for domestic consumers, will be supplied uninterruptedly to every connected premises.

AG&P Pratham, which secured the license from Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to exclusively provide natural gas for daily use in 35 districts across the country, is executing the project in Kadapa, Anantapur, Sri Satya Sai, Chittoor, Annamayya, Tirupati and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh.

The company plans to cover 50,000 households in Kadapa city and the adjoining mandals, of which over 12,000 households have already registered for the same.

AG&P Pratham has established its own LCNG station at Putlampalli on the city outskirts to ensure 24x7 supply to domestic, industrial and commercial (hotels and restaurants) segments.

CNG network

There are ten CNG stations in the composite Kadapa district, most of them operational, at Kadapa, Vontimitta, Pulivendula, Rayachoti, Proddatur, Railway Kodur and Vempalli.

The company plans to achieve a total of fourteen CNG stations in the district and take it to 52 by 2028. The impressive network of CNG stations, which form part of the larger gas-based ecosystem, facilitates seamless travel for CNG vehicles.

CNG stations are coming up on all major routes, viz., those leading towards Tirupati, Nellore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. For example, a four-wheeler travelling from Hyderabad to Tirupati is assured of uninterrupted CNG supply, thanks to this grid.

Industrial supply is also considered an important component, apart from automobile, domestic and commercial verticals, to ensure clean energy.

“With industry in the form of cement factories thriving in the district, we are planning to lay a 10KM-long steel pipeline and connect fifteen industrial units”, AG&P Pratham’s Regional Manager (Anantapur and Kadapa) A. Venkatesh told The Hindu.

Though the price of CNG for domestic connections is regulated by the government, consumers can expect better savings against the LPG, which is currently the main source of cooking gas.

In one year from now, Mr. Venkatesh projects an expansion rate of achieving 18,000 household connections and 25-30 CNG stations in Kadapa district alone.