GAIL (India) Limited and UJVN Limited today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for evaluating the potential of setting up of gas based combined cycle power plants in Haridwar and Kashipur in Uttarakhand under Joint Venture route. Shri S Venkatraman, Director (Business Development) GAIL and Shri G P Patel, Managing Director, UJVNL inked the pact in presence of Shri B C Tripathi, Chairman and Managing Director, GAIL (India) Limited, Dr. Umakant Panwar, Secretary (Energy) and Chairman, UJVNL, Shri Jagmohan Lal, Chairman, Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission, Shri Prabhat Singh, Director (Marketing) GAIL (India) Limited, Shri A K Jain, M D, Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited and other senior officials of GAIL and UJVNL.
Uttarakhand is facing power shortage and no new hydro plant is coming due to environmental issues. To improve availability of power in the State, UJVNL intends to set up 300 to 500 MW gas based power plants at Kashipur and Haridwar
As per GAIL’s assessment, there is a demand potential of 4.5 - 5.0 MMSCMD in Uttarakhand. Looking at the demand potential in Uttrakhand, GAIL is currently executing two pipeline projects (i) Karanpur – Moradabad –Kashipur – Rudrapur and (ii) Saharanpur – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Dehradun to transport gas to consumers in the district of Kashipur, Rudrapur, Roorkee, Haridwar and Dehradun. The Karanpur – Moradabad - Kashipur – Rudrapur pipeline will be approximately 182 km in length with an investment of approximately Rs. 239 crore. This pipeline will be connected to GAIL’s existing Auraiya – Dadri pipeline at Karanpur. The second pipeline from Saharanpur – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Dehradun will be approximately 170 km in length with an investment of approximately Rs. 255 crore. This pipeline will be connected to GAIL’s existing Bawana – Nangal pipeline.
Speaking at a press briefing on the occasion, Shri B C Tripathi, Chairman and Managing Director, GAIL (India) Limited said that there has been rapid industrialization in the State of Uttarakhand, favored by industry friendly policies and adequate infrastructure and the development of gas based power plants in Kashipur and Haridwar is a good move and we thank UJVNL for choosing us as a partner for the proposed projects.
GAIL and UJVNL propose to set up around 350 to 500 MW gas based power plant each at both places to meet the power requirement of the State. Natural gas required for both power plants will be supplied by GAIL. As per current Central Electricity Authority (CEA) guidelines, allocation of domestic gas for new power projects would be considered to the extent of only 60 per cent of the total requirement subject to meeting specified criteria and gas availability. As such, for the balance volume, these plants have to depend on other sources. GAIL will source LNG and supply RLNG through its new pipelines to meet the gas requirement while State Government will pursue for allocation of domestic gas with Government of India. The majority of the power produced from these plants would be sold to Uttarakhand State through long term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
GAIL is a major gas transmission, distribution, processing and marketing company in India and has diversified its operation in other integrated energy and petrochemical activities. The Company owns and operates more than 8600 Km of high pressure trunk pipeline with a capacity of transmission of 170 MMSCMD of natural gas across the country and has more than 1900 Km long LPG Transportation network with a capacity of 3.8 MMTPA. GAIL's gas marketing business covers 16 states across the country. The company is a significant petrochemicals players with a market share of around 20 per cent , having capacity to produce 450 KTA of polymers and currently expanding its production capacity to 900 KTA. GAIL has 70 per cent stake in Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymers Limited having 280 KTA production capacity of polymers besides 19 per cent stake in ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPaL) which has 1400 KTA production capacity. GAIL has a sizeable contribution in the production of Liquid Hydrocarbons and owns and operates 7 Gas processing plants across country with a production capacity of 1.4 MMTPA. In Exploration and Production GAIL has equity stakes in 26 domestic blocks and 2 overseas blocks in Myanmar. The Company has already diversified into LNG Terminals, Renewable source of energy such as wind and solar power generation and also gas based power plants through 2184 MW of Ratnagiri Power Plant Limited (RGPPL) and 156 MW in Gujarat State Electricity Generation Company (GSEG). GAIL has contributed significantly in the area of city gas distribution and has 8 Joint Venture Companies for retail gas marketing in CNG and City Gas. GAIL has incorporated wholly owned subsidiary, GAIL Gas Limited, which has authorization for retail gas marketing in cities like Meerut, Dewas, Kota and Sonepat.
UJVNL is a wholly owned company of the Government of Uttarakhand with the main object to establish, takeover, operate, and maintain power generating stations harnessing the conventional, non-conventional, nuclear and other sources of energy by what so ever name called that include substations, transmissions lines, other ancillaries and activities that are essential for generation, transmission, distribution and trading of power.