Tamil Nadu’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) retail outlet has been commissioned in Nagapattinam by Torrent Gas at a retail outlet being run on behalf of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) at Porvacheri. It was in 1993 that CNG became available in New Delhi. The rest of the country followed suit, and most other States have the variant.
Torrent Gas has tied up with GAIL for CNG supply through the Torrent-owned city gate station in Thirumarugal village. The company has also tied up with IOCL for use of its retail outlets to start more CNG stations. One more CNG station, co-located with an Indian Oil outlet, Kumarappa Enterprises, Nagapattinam, is likely to be commissioned shortly.
R. Sitharthan, Vice-President (Operations), Torrent Gas, said two more CNG stations would commence operations in four months and a total of 12 would come up by March 2022 in the region. He said CNG was priced competitively, compared with petrol and diesel, and was a very clean fuel. The retail price of CNG in Nagapattinam would be ₹60 a kg.
Asked about CNG-enabled vehicles, he said a few cars in the region had already converted to CNG. “More vehicles are undergoing the change. Retrofitters have kits for cars. As for autorickshaws, the State government has to grant permission for such retrofitting. One private manufacturer has a variant ready,” he said.
Torrent Gas has been authorised by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to provide CNG and Piped Natural Gas in Karaikal and Nagapattinam districts. It also received permission for Chennai and Tiruvallur districts this year.
Work is progressing well on CNG in the Salem and Coimbatore regions. IOCL, which has been authorised by PNGRB in these areas, is expected to commission CNG as soon as it is made available through pipeline from Kerala, official sources said.
