North Kerala seen as good market for natural gas

Staff Reporter

Prime Minister to lay foundation stone for LNG plant in Kochi next month

BPCL says Gas Task Force constitutedHe says various power plants proposed in the region will increase the scope of consumption of natural gas

KOZHIKODE: Natural gas will find more takers in North Kerala once the Petronet Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Regasification Plant is commissioned in Kochi in 2009, M.J. Mohan, general manager, BPCL, and head of the Gas Task Force, has said.

Talking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, Mr. Mohan said that the Kasaragod Power Corporation, Nallam Diesel Plant and the Western Indian Plywoods and other power-consuming units were potential clients.

He said the various power plants proposed in the region would also increase the scope of consumption of natural gas.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone on February 4 for the Rs.2,500-crore LNG plant in Kochi, which is expected to be commissioned by 2009.

The construction work will commence in June, he said.

The project set up by Petronet LNG, a joint venture by GAIL(India), ONGC, IOC and the BPCL, is expected to meet the natural gas needs of customers in western Tamil Nadu and southern Karnataka, besides customers in the entire State.

Natural gas will be provided either as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to customers in industrial, automobile and domestic sectors.

A pipeline to carry natural gas will be laid from Palakkad connecting Salem, Erode and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, while pipes from Kanjikode will be connected to Mangalore through Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.

The residents in Kochi will have piped cooking gas connections with the commissioning of the plant in a phased manner.

A Gas Task Force has been formed with officials from the BPCL\KRL for the task of marketing natural gas in and around Kerala, western Tamil Nadu and southern Karnataka.

It will oversee the supply of natural gas to industrial customers in Kerala, western Tamil Nadu and southern Karnataka; setting up of auto CNG stations and supply of piped domestic gas to cities like Kochi.

The advantages of natural gas over crude oil include safety, environment friendly nature and cost effectiveness, Thomas Zachariah, deputy general manager (LNG), Kohi Refineries Limited (KRL), said.

"When the Kochi plant is commissioned, CNG stations will already be in place at vantage points across the State to supply CNG to automobiles," Mr. Mohan said.