Nagpur: Gas Authority of India Limited (Gail) may pump LNG from Adani Group’s Dhamra port in the eastern coastal state of Odisha through its pipeline connecting Nagpur to Jharsuguda. Gail is laying a gas pipeline from Mumbai to Nagpur, along the Samruddhi Expressway, with the pipeline extending further to Jharsuguda in the east.
Adani has an LNG terminal at Dhamra port on the east coast and is delivering LNG to Gail’s metering stations there. The facility will enable Gail to charge up the pipeline from both the east and west coasts. A two-way pumping of gas also helps prevent a pressure drop in the pipeline, said a source in Gail.
The Nagpur-Mumbai pipeline is expected to be charged in a month’s time, with Butibori getting the first supplies. It it may take another 2-3 months to finish the work towards Jharsuguda too, said sources. The gas will be available for use by industries as well as other users. The pipelines are typically made for two-directional flow.
From the west coast, Gail plans to get the LNG supply from Dahej and Dabhol LNG terminals. Adani’s Dhamra terminal can be the source from the eastern side. Gail already has its infrastructure in Odisha, a source said.
Adani’s LNG terminal at Dhamra has a capacity of handling 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and a peak capacity of 6.5 MTPA. The current utilisation is for 2.3 MTPA. The terminal, run by Dhamra LNG Terminal Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani-Total Private Limited, receives LNG in cryogenic form from ships, and takes it to Gail’s doorstep after regasification.
At present, Gail and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) have been procuring the gas, which is received at the LNG terminal in Dhamra port, said sources in the company. The Adani Group, which has planned to pump in Rs10,000 crore, also plans an expansion in the port spread, pumping in a similar amount over a period of time, said sources.
In the current year, it expects to handle 50 million tonnes of cargo. This includes dry cargo, LNG, and even ship-to-ship transfer, said sources. The majority of the commodities handled at the port are iron ore fines and coal.
