Power plants have sought over 550 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd) of gas, three-times the nation's current natural gas output, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jitin Prasada said today.
"Various applications requesting gas allocations for new power plants requiring over 550 mmscmd of gas have been received (by oil ministry)," he said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sahba here.
The gas allocation to the new projects would be made subject to availability from Reliance Industries' eastern offshore KG-D6 fields.
"The Empowered Group of Ministers constituted to consider and decide issues relating to pricing and commercial utilisation of gas has decided that, subject to the availability of gas, necessary allocations from KG-D6 fields will be made to power projects in pipeline as and when they are ready to commence production," he said.
RIL currently produces around 60 mmscmd of gas from KG-D6, all of which has been allocated to fertiliser plants, power units, steel plants, refineries and petrochemical units.
It will hit peak output of 80 mmscmd in late 2012 or early 2013.
