Mangalore Gas Pipeline gets Karnataka Cabinet Nod
From Our Special Correpondent
Daijiworld Media Network
 
BANGALORE, JUN 25:  Karnataka has approved the signing of the agreement for a Rs 7,500 crore investment proposals involving Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) and the state government for laying a liquefied nitrogen gas pipeline between Dabhol in Maharashtra and Bangalore and Kochi-Kanjirkkod-Bangalore-Mangalore.

The proposal, which has already been accorded approval by GAIL’s board of directors at its meeting held in Delhi recently, was approved by the B S Yeddyurappa cabinet on Thursday and is to be implemented in two phases.

Karnataka’s home minister Dr V S Acharya, who briefed reporters after the state cabinet meeting, said GAIL would execute the project in which the Urban Infrastructure Development Department would playing the role of facilitator role.

The two pipelines would have capacity to carry16 million cubic metres of gas each. The towns would benefit from the project, which also has the capacity to generate electricity in the region of around 6,000 mw. The project is expected to be completed in 2012-13, he said.

In the part A of the first phase, Dr Acharya said 402 km pipeline would be laid from Dabhol to Gokak along with spur lines to Belgaum and Goa at an estimated cost of Rs 1593.47 crore and in part B of the first phase, another 570 km pipleline would be laid from Gokak to Bangalore along with spur lines/feeder lines to Bangalore at an estimated cost of Rs.2,463.91 crore.

Another 417 km spur lines/feeder lines would be laid to Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli, Bijapur, Dharwad, Davangere, Harihar, and Tumkur at an estimated cost of Rs 486.05 crore in the second phase.

Dr Acharya said the second project for laying 1,114 km Kochi-Kanjirkkod-Bangalore-Mangalore pipeline, an investment of Rs 3,032 crore including foreign exchange component of Rs 18.57 crore has been approved.

GAIL stated that it had received the authorisation for laying Dabhol-Bangalore and Kochi-Kanjirkkod-Bangalore-Mangalore pipelines from the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in July, 2007.

GAIL operates a network of over 7,000 km of natural gas high pressure trunk pipeline with a capacity of to carry 155 million cubic meters of gas across the country.