Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the 450-km long Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline built and operated by GAIL India Ltd., to the nation on Tuesday.
Chairman & Managing Director of GAIL (India), Manoj Jain, while addressing a virtual press conference on Saturday. said the regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) has already been flowing from Kochi LNG Terminal of Petronet LNG to Mangaluru (Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd) heralding a new era in clean and green energy sector.
In addition to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Governors and Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Kerala are expected to participate in the virual programme on Tuesday morning around 11 am.
Work on the City Gas Distribution system for Mangaluru City too was under progress and some areas of the city were likely to get piped gas supply by the end of the year, he said. While MCF, the lone chemical fertiliser manufacturer in Karnataka uses about 0.85 million standard cubic metres per day (MSCMD) LNG, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd., and ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd., were likely to offload another 0.6 MSCMD from the end of this month, Mr. Jain said. Distribution of LNG as an auto fuel was likely to coincide with the supply of city gas distribution in Mangaluru, he added.
Cost-wise, LNG would be cheaper by about 40% to fossil fuels petrol and diesel for automobiles while about 20% cheaper to LPG for domestic consumption. For industries too, the liquefied natural gas would not only be cheaper to conventional fuel, but also would be energy efficient and environment friendly, Mr. Jain said. “If industries were using waste oil or Naphtha for their energy requirements, use of LNG would mean reduction in pollution by over 50%,” he added.
Work on the Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru LNG pipeline commenced in 2009 and was expected to be commissioned in 2014 at an estimated cost of ₹2,915 crore. However, delays in land acquisition following opposition from land owners and other aspects delayed the construction and the line was completed on November 16, 2020. The final cost was estimated at ₹5,750 crore.
Gail Directors E.S. Ranganathan (Marketing) and M.V. Iyer (Business Development) were present.
