Piped gas for B'lore, Kochi, Coimbatore from Dec 2010

Bangalore, Kochi and Coimbatore will get domestic Piped Natural Gas (PNG) by December next year from the LNG re-gasification terminal at Cochin Port.

"People in Bangalore, Kochi and Coimbatore will get piped gas connection by December 31, 2010, from the LNG terminal," Cochin Port Trust's Chairman, M Ramachandran, said on the sidelines of a press conference here today.

Petronet LNG (PLL) and Gas Authority of India have invested over Rs 15,000-crore to set up a 2.5-MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification plant at Puthuvypeen in Kochi, Kerala.

PNG, an affordable alternative fuel, will be distributed under the City Gas brand, he said, adding that the LNG brought by sea to the plant will be converted into CNG or PNG.

Ramachandran said Cochin Port Trust (CPT) has already allotted 110-hectares of land to Petronet LNG and the LNG regasification plant, which will have an initial capacity of 2.5-million tonnes per annum and will be operational by December 2010.

The project will also help downstream industries like cold-storages and others like Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT), Kayamkulam Thermal Power Plant of NTPC in Kerala, besides textile units, he added.

It would also create direct employment for around 150 people and indirect employment for 2,000-5,000 people.

Besides, Petronet LNG is also setting up a 1,000 mega watt gas power plant, which will provide synergies to the LNG operation, for which CPT has alloted 100-acres of land, Ramachandran added.