GAIL Targets West Bengal’s Inclusion on India’s Gas-Map Through 348-Km Natural Gas Pipeline

Country’s largest gas utility firm, GAIL India Ltd. has added West Bengal to India’s gas map through completion of its INR 24,330 million pipeline project that will bring to the state better access to the cooking fuel much cheaper than LPG, motor fuel which costs less than petrol and diesel, and a feedstock to produce urea for the state’s fertilizer requirements.

The Natural Gas pipeline, which stretches across 348 km from Dobhi in Bihar to Durgapur in West Bengal is a part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project, aimed at ensuring easy access to environment-friendly Natural Gas to the eastern part of the country. As per the company officials, the pipeline will benefit not only West Bengal but also 10 districts of Bihar and Jharkhand.

As stated by GAIL’s Chairman and Managing Director, the project takes into consideration the Indian government's strong push for establishing a gas-based economy which would not only cut its carbon emissions but also provide reliable and easy fuel access to the easter states which are left untouched by the benefits of the gas-based economy.

The pipeline will provide clean piped Natural Gas connections to household kitchens and would enable the access to CNG as a replacement to diesel in buses and petrol in cars. The project completion would be a great push towards increasing the share of Natural gas in India’s energy mix as CNG is 30-40 per cent cheaper than petrol and diesel and is nearly 20-30 per cent cheaper than filled LPG cylinders. The state-run Sindri and Durgapur Fertilizer factories are also likely to benefit from the continuous gas supply for urea production. As per the GAIL authorities, the pipeline will be further extended to Haldia in West Bengal and to Bokaro in Jharkhand, Dhamra in Odisha and Guwahati in Assam in the next 1.5 years. As per the company officials, the completion of the project took place on time despite the pandemic-related disruptions and its construction work has provided 11 lakh man days employment to the local residents.

On Sunday, 7^th Feb., India’s Honorary Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited Haldia, West Bengal to lay the foundation stone of the second catalytic dewaxing unit at the Haldia Refinery of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), which would be engaged in the production of advanced Group III Lube Oil Base stock (LOBS) to reduce country’s import dependence. During the ceremony, he appreciated the completion of 348 km Dobhi – Durgapur Natural Gas Pipeline section and the LPG import terminal of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).  As stated by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, this project brings the country closer to its vision of “One nation-one gas grid” whose main focus is on reducing the cost of Natural Gas and expanding its gas-pipeline network.