KOCHI: The much-awaited Kochi liquefied natural gas (LNG)terminal will be operational by October 2012, according to G C Chaturvedi, chairman of Petronet LNG Limited (PLL). Speaking at a press meet here on Friday, Chatruvedi, who is also the petroleum secretary, said that the construction works at the Kochi terminal was progressing as per the schedule and was expected to be commissioned by the second quarter of next fiscal.“The pre-commission and commission works of the terminal are expected to be completed within three to four months,” P Kheterpal, vice-president , Kochi Terminal (Finance) told ‘Express’.Pipe laying and electrical works are underway and are expected to be completed in a couple of months, he said. Once operational, the LNG terminal at Puthuvype would be a big leap in the infrastructure base of the state.It will be a boon for Kochiites as GAIL Gas Limited, a subsidiary of GAIL (India) Limited, and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) have started a joint venture - Kerala GAIL Gas Ltd, for distributing LNG, which can be used as cooking gas that would be cheaper than LPG to city households through pipelines. Kerala GAIL Gas Limited will not only cover Kochi city but also the entire state in a phased manner.“The estimated cost of the terminal is Rs 3,750 crore, but it may vary according to cargo transshipment expenses,” said Chaturvedi.The project envisaged for laying pipelines for distributing LNG to households would be a great relief for consumers who are expecting a capping on the number of subsidised LPG cylinders in a year.The seamless supply of LNG is expected to redefine the automobile sector also as the fuel-efficient, eco-friendly LNG vehicles would be possible once the terminal is commissioned.
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