A route for the new gas grid in Gujarat
Construction of the Gujarat gas grid has clearly become a priority for the state authorities.
Hardly surprising given the multitude of LNG projects planned for the states coastline and the lack of appropriate infrastructure for the eventual evacuation of regasified LNG. Primary responsibility for implementation of the project lies with the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (http://www.gujaratpetro.com/) which is the grids nodal authority and responsible for project implementation.
Sanjay Gupta, GSPCs managing director, reckons the company will be ready to issue EPC tender notices by February 2000. "This project is now converging from the macro-level planning stage to the micro-level one", said Gupta, "We are planning to be ready with at least the southern Gujarat portion of the gas grid connecting northern Maharashtra with Hazira by March 2002".
Bechtel is presently undertaking a technical feasibility study on the proposed gas grid, but Gupta has already begun to make public a broad outline of what he wants to see. According to Gupta, the pipeline should be big enough to carry an aggregate volume of 40m cm/d of gas, equivalent to four LNG terminals with a total capacity of 10-12m t/y.
Gupta clearly assumes that all four LNG proposals in Gujarat (Dahej, Maroli, Pipavav and Hazira) will emerge. He has also outlined a basic grid pattern, linking the ports of Maroli, Dahej and Hazira with the main industrial centres of Bharuch, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Mehsana and Vadnagar on the border with Rajasthan.
Gupta also believes first supplies of regasified LNG to Gujarat will come not from from Pipavav or Dahej but from Enrons facility at Dabhol. He wants to see an extra link from Maroli to Thallassery in north Maharashtra to cater for this.