Piped Natural Gas In 5 Districts of Assam: Chandra Mohan Patowary

GUWAHATI: Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said work to execute the ambitious scheme to connect Assam with the National Gas Grid Pipeline has already started even as the Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL), Oil India Ltd (OIL) and GAIL Gas Ltd (GGL) on Thursday signed a joint venture agreement to provide pipe gas connections to every household, commercial and industrial establishments in five districts.

Addressing a function on the occasion of signing of a joint venture agreement at Janata Bhawan here on Thursday, Patowary said construction work of a gas pipeline between Barauni in Bihar and Guwahati has started. He said the proposed gas pipeline is expected to be connected with Guwahati Refinery by 2020. The GAIL is carrying out construction work and the company has already set up its office in Guwahati.

Chandra Mohan Patowary said the proposed gas pipeline will be a lifeline for Assam and help the Sate to tide over its acute crisis of natural gas. He said the existing oil and gas fields in the State are not producing sufficient quantity of gas to feed the numerous industries, with the list including several hundred tea garden factories. “While the ONGC has failed to provide adequate quantum of gas, the entire industrial sector is heavily depending upon OIL to get the required gas,” he said.

According to the Minister, the Barauni-to-Guwahati section of the National Gas Grid is likely to be completed by December, 2020. Thereafter, the Indradhanush Gas Grid Ltd. will execute the project to connect eight NE States with the National Gas Grid.

On other hand, AGCL managing director Aditya Kumar Sharma, Executive Director (Business Development), OIL, SK Singh and CEO of GGL AK Jana on Thursday signed a joint venture agreement to provide pipe gas connections in five districts in the State. Besides Patowary, media adviser to Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami, Sadiya MLA-cum-Chairman of AGCL, Bolin Chetia and other senior State Government officials were present in the function.

A press communiqué issued by the Industries and Commerce department said the supply of piped natural gas to the industrial, commercial and domestic customers in the first phase in Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts will be a major initiative to promote quality of life in the State. The AGCL, along with OIL and GGL have formed a Consortium and bid for laying, building and operating the City Gas Distribution Networks in two Geographical Areas (GA) in Assam.GA-2 comprises of Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts and GA-3 comprises of Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro) districts.

After competitive bidding, the Consortium won and was awarded by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) the authorization for the said work.

In the five districts, approximately 4.16 lakh households will be connected with the Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and 72 CNG stations will be set up in the districts. Approximately, Rs.1,700 crores will be spent for the purpose in the coming eight years.

Around 95,000 households will be connected with PNG and 21 CNG stations will be set up in Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts at an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 500 crores.

Around 3,21,000 households will be connected with PNG and 51 CNG stations will be set up in Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro) districts in the coming years at an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 1,200 crores.

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