Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Work on GAIL pipeline launched

By Our Staff Reporter

RAJAHMUNDRY MAY 22. The Director of the Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL), S.P. Rao, who formally launched construction works for the 600-km long LPG pipeline between Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad by performing `bhoomi pooja' at three places in the district on Tuesday, told a news conference here on Wednesday that the possibility of extending this pipeline to Tirupati from a point near Vijayawada was being explored. A final decision would be taken after techno-commercial feasibility, he added.

Mr. Rao said the schedule for the completion of this Rs. 500- crore project was August 2003. "But we plan to complete it well before the scheduled time and with this in view the entire work was divided into five spreads and five different agencies were entrusted the task of executing work.'' Points where works began on Tuesday are located near Tuni, Rajahmundry and Balaramuram (spreads 1,11 and 111). Works would also begin near Eluru and Vijayawada in spreads four and five. The companies that were entrusted works are Aban Construction, Chennai, Jay Somanath constructions, Ahmedabad, Jaihind Ahmedabad, Ace Pipeline Works, Mumbai, and Punj Lloyd, New Delhi, Mr. Rao said.

Designed to a capacity of 1.2 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) and filling approximately 2.2 lakh cylinders a day, this pipeline has in-built safety mechanism and the possibility of leaks were remote, he said. Transport of gas through a pipeline is the cheapest and the safest besides pollution-free, he pointed out. The pipeline would originate in Visakhapatnam, pass through six districts in Andhra Pradesh and terminate Cherlapalli near Secunderabad, he said. The bottling plants located at Cherlapalli, Vijayawada, Kondapalli, Timmapur, and Khammam would use the LPG. There was provision for supply at other places also, he added.

The GAIL had also signed a MoU with the HPCL, Visakhapatnam, for supply of CNG, Auto-LPG and "Town Gas distribution.'' The Auto LPG project would be taken up first on a pilot basis in Hyderabad and Tirupati. This, which was likely to begin some time in August, would be followed by the CNG project. The feasibility of setting up a mini-LPG plant at Gudala near Amalapuram in East Godavari district was being studied, he added.

Mr. Rao said the demand — 130 million metric tonnes— was far more than the supply of 60 million metric tonnes and all efforts including import of gas were being made to bridge the gap. He said the GAIL, one of the top Navaratnas in the country, had completed the Rs.1, 230-crore, 1,250-km Jamnagar-Loni pipeline ahead of schedule, and was presently executing the second phase.

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