Gujarat to set up two new LNG terminals of 10 MMTPA

At present, the state has two operational LNG terminals, one at Hazira in Surat and the another at Dahej in Bharuch district

Gujarat government said that it has planned to set up two new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals of 10 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA) capacity.

In her written response to a question raised by BJP MLA Harsh Sanghvi during question hour in the Gujarat Assembly yesterday about future plans regarding LNG terminals, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who handles the ports portfolio, stated that two such LNG terminals are already operational in the state.

At present, Gujarat has two operational LNG terminals, one at Hazira in Surat and the another at Dahej in Bharuch district.

In her reply, she stated that both these terminals have a combined capacity to handle 17.5 MMT LNG per annum.

She stated that the Gujarat government plans to set up two more such LNG terminals to handle imported LNG.

The Gujarat government plans to set up two new LNG terminals, one near Jafrabad in Amreli district and another at Mundra port in Kutch district, she said.

Patel said that an LNG port terminal with Floating Storage and Re-gassification Unit (FSRU) with a capacity of 5 MMTPA would be built in Jafrabad.

Earlier, the state ports authority, Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) had selected Swan Energy Ltd as the developer of this project on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis.

After being selected by the GMB in December 2013 to set up this project, Swan Energy had informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that it would develop a greenfield LNG port terminal with FSRU at Jafrabad in Gujarat.

In a related development, Adani Group and the state government-owned Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) have joined hands to set up an LNG import terminal at Mundra with an initial capacity of 5 MMTPA.

"In Mundra, the government plans to set up an LNG terminal to handle 5 MMTPA of LNG", Patel replied in the Gujarat Assembly.

According to the GSPC website, GSPC LNG Ltd plans to set up the Mundra LNG terminal to import LNG in order to meet growing demand.

"The 5 MMTPA LNG terminal, which would be expandable to 10 MMTPA, is designed to have a berth to receive LNG tankers of sizes ranging from 75,000 M3 (cubic metres) to 2.6 lakh M3. It will also have two LNG storage tanks of 1.6 lakh M3 capacity each," according to the statement on the GSPC website.

It also stated that construction is in full swing at the site and the terminal is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2017.