East India to get ~51k-cr funding via LNG project

Dhamra LNG Terminal and the Jagdishpur-HaldiaBokaro-Dhamra pipeline project (JHBDPL) together will bring in investments worth ~51,000 crore into the economy of eastern India, said Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Of the total outlay, ~13,000 crore will be spent on JHBDPL pipeline infrastructure, ~ 6,000 crore on city gas distribution (CGD) projects in seven cities, ~6,000 crore on Dhamra LNG Terminal, and ~ 26,000 crore on revival of Gorakhpur, Barauni, Sindri and Talcher fertiliser plants.

Pradhan was speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for 5-MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) LNG (liquefied natural gas) Regasification Terminal at Dhamra Port, located in Bhadrak district of Odisha.

The ceremony, however, was marred by absence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the chief guest for the occasion, who skipped the function after his party men were peeved with non-display of Patnaik’s picture cutouts within the meeting venue which was replete with large posters of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

Besides Patanik, BJD leaders from the Bhadrak district including two state cabinet ministers, MLAs and local MP, who figured in the guest list were conspicuous by their absence in the meeting.

The LNG Terminal, the first of its kind in the eastern India, is being built jointly by Adani group, Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) and GAIL (India) Ltd at a cost of ~6,000 crore and expected to be commissioned by 2019-20. The work on the project would start after the monsoon in September.

The terminal will be used for receipt, storage and regasification of LNG and it will cater to CGD networks.