GSPC to commission LNG import terminal at Mundra in next two-three months

Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC) is to commission a 5-million-tonne a year LNG import terminal at Mundra in Gujarat in the next two to three months, its Managing Director, Jagdip Narayan Singh, has said.

Mundra will be the third import terminal in Gujarat to import super-cooled natural gas (liquefied natural gas or LNG) in cryogenic ships, re-convert the liquid fuel into its gaseous state before transporting it by pipelines to customers.

GSPL LNG Ltd, a GSPC Group firm, which is implementing the project in partnership with Adani Group, will look at inducting a partner like Indian Oil Corp (IOC) once the terminal is fully operational.

“We will commission Mundra terminal by August-end or mid-September. It will operate at 1.5 mt a year capacity for the first one-and-a-half years before scaling up to full capacity,” said Jagdip.

Mundra terminal, which will have an expandable capacity to 10 mt per annum in future, is designed to have a berth for receiving LNG tankers of size 75,000 cubic metres to 2,60,000 cubic metres, two LNG storage tanks of capacity 1,60,000 cubic metres each, facilities for regasification and gas evacuation.

Gujarat already has a 15 mt a year import facility operated by Petronet LNG Ltd at Dahej and another 5 mt terminal at Hazira that is run by Shell.

Besides Dahej and Hazira, India currently has two more LNG terminals – Dabhol in Maharashtra and Kochi in Kerala, both with 5 mt a year capacity. More import terminals are planned on the east coast as well as on the west to meet the fast growing energy needs of the country.

Singh said the Gujarat Government-owned company has decided to commission the import terminal first and then look at a strategic partner. “We have been in talks with IOC but as the partnership was delayed, we have now decided to first commission the terminal and then see who can we get as a partner,” he said.

GSPL LNG is a joint venture of Gujarat State Petroleum Corp and Adani Enterprises. GSPL LNG will hold the remaining 50% stake in the LNG terminal. Adani and GSPC are equal partners in GSPL LNG.

Singh said Mundra will be connected to Gujarat State Petronet Ltd’s (GSPL) existing pipelines network at Anjaar, Gujarat.

For more information, visit: www.gspcgroup.com

9th July 2018