BC Tripathi, Chairman of Gail India informed that it has commissioned the 5 million tonne capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Dabhol facility in Maharashtra.
He also informed that the firm plans to double its capacity by 2016 in a phased manner. Initially, the firm would focus on completing construction of break-water facility, which will help in expanding the terminal’s capacity to 7.5 mmtpa in next two years and finally to 10 mmtpa in 2016.
He expects the terminal to serve as a gateway for entry of natural gas to the southern and western parts of the country.
The company is planning to import about half a dozen LNG cargoes in next three-four months, he said. The first cargo is expected to arrive at the terminal from Russia by the end of this month.
Russian energy major Gazprom agreed to supply LNG to Gail through a long-term contract. Gail had imported a shipload of LNG for commissioning the Dabhol terminal in March last year but the operations had to be aborted midway after two successive equipment failures.
Ratnagiri Gas and Power (RGPPL), a joint venture of Gail and state power utility NTPC, operates the terminal. India is focusing on import of gas as it has faced a steep fall in domestic output.
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