The much-awaited piped natural gas (PNG) supply is all set to be launched for residents of Bhubaneswar on October 20 as part of a Rs 4,000- crore project to provide cost-effective and green fuel.
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is likely to launch the PNG supply by GAIL (India) Ltd, almost "six months before the deadline".
The company will start supply of environment-friendly PNG in 255 houses in NALCO Nagar area in the first phase, GAIL Director (Projects) Ashutosh Karnatak told reporters today.
The state-owned firm has a market share of over 75 per cent in natural gas transmission.
Karnatak said GAIL is looking to expand its network to 18,000 km from 11,000 km in the next five years.
City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are being taken up in parallel with the Jagdishpur
Haldia and Bokaro Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL), popularly known as 'Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga', he said.
In Odisha, natural gas pipeline will be constructed at an estimated investment of Rs 4,000 crore and have a length of about 769 km covering 13 districts, Karnatak said.
The pipeline will connect major industrial clusters of Khurdha, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Angul, Dhenkanal, Kalinganagar, Jajpur and Paradip, he said.
It will also cover Bhadrak, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Angul, Sundergarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Debagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khordha, Puri and Kendrapara districts.
PNG supply in NALCO Nagar was to commence by March, 2018 on a pilot basis.
GAIL, however, took up the project on war-footing and will commence supply of natural gas almost six months before the deadline, Karnatak said.
The company also plans to provide PNG connections to adjacent Jeevan Bima Colony and Maitri Vihar Colony, covering a total of 1,000 houses. Assessment is being carried out for PNG supply to leading hotels, hospitals and industrial units of the city as well, he said.
Describing PNG as "happy fuel", Karnatak said it is not just eco-friendly, but is one of the most safe fuels.
Initially, natural gas will reach Bhubaneswar in special containers called 'cascades' which will be transported by road from Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh. Later, it will be supplied through Jagdishpur Haldia and Bokaro Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline.
The pipeline is under construction and likely to be commissioned by 2019.
In Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack, the number of PNG connections will gradually be ramped up in the next three to five years. Moreover, 25 compressed natural gas (CNG) stations will be commissioned in the twin cities.
In Bhubaneswar, construction activities of CNG stations have already been taken up and supply will be commenced at the earliest, the GAIL official added.
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