No pipe dream, pipe gas soon
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It might not be long before city gas distribution (CGD) through pipelines will become a reality in Bengaluru. For this, energy department officials are waiting for the anchor project - the 700 MW Bidadi gas plant that is expected to be commissioned by September.
“Bidadi is our anchor project and once it is commissioned, CGD work will also take off. For the 700 MW Bidadi gas plant, we have been given permission to go for the spot market. This will ensure that the plant is up by September,” said a senior official from KPCL. For over ten years now, the Bidadi gas plant has been in the pipeline; initially it was supposed to be a 1400 MW combined gas cycle plant with 4 units of 350 MW each. However, due to gas shortage, capacity was brought down to 700 MW.
“We have permission for opting for spot market. Though the gas will be expensive, it will benefit industries. Later, GAIL will establish the CGD network that will cater to the requirement of piped gas for homes and also supply fuel for CNG vehicles. There will be a separate department that will work in coordination with KPCL,” the official informed.
With GAIL to commission the Dabhol-Bengaluru pipeline by 2013, the CGD project is expected to get impetus. Further, the Dabhol-Bengaluru pipelines will also have network extensions to Gokak, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli, Bijapur, Dharwad, Davangere, Harihar and Tumkur. GAIL also has two more pipelines that will be passing through Bengaluru - one is the Kochi -Bengaluru gas pipeline that is expected to be commissioned by 2013, while the Chennai-Bengaluru pipeline work will start in 2015.
“The CGD project was supposed to have started by June but there have been some delays. However, the city gas distribution will be taken care by GAIL and the project will be commissioned within this year,” said Suresh Babu, Joint Director (Projects),Power Company of Karnataka Ltd.
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