The Hindu Business Line : Petronet Dahej plant to be commissioned on Feb 9

The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr Ram Naik, with the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Ltd, Mr Mukesh Ambani, at the second Asia Gas Buyers' Summit held in Mumbai on Monday. — Paul Noronha

Mumbai , Feb. 2

PETRONET LNG Ltd's five million-tonne LNG re-gasification plant will be commissioned on February 9 after the arrival of the first natural gas shipment from Qatar, Mr Ram Naik, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said here on Monday.

``The commissioning of the first LNG plant will take place at Dahej on February 9, as the shipment of 1.38 cubic metres of LNG has arrived from Qatar,'' Mr Naik said at the second Asia Gas Buyers' Summit.

PLL will be investing close to Rs 7,700 crore in setting up the facility of which, Rs 2,900 crore have been invested in setting up the terminal, Rs 800 crore in the new ship `Disha' and for pipeline from Dahej to Vijaipur, the Minister said.

The second LNG import facility, the 2.5 million-tonne terminal being set up by Shell at Hazira, is also at an advanced stage and is likely to be commissioned by this year-end.

Mr Naik claimed that the Government would introduce the much-awaited Petroleum Sector Regulatory Bill "once the NDA Government is re-elected."

Among other speakers at the summit, Mr Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said his company might be interested in setting up city gas distribution networks once the Government formulated the policy.

Mr Ambani said the Government needed to formulate a regulatory system for the growing gas business. He said the country might be able to access gas at $2-3 per million British thermal units against the world average of $ 5.5-6 mbtu.

Ms Anne Quinn, Group Vice-President, BP Plc, meanwhile, said the group along with partner Tata Power was in touch with `authorities' for reviving the troubled 2,184-MW Dabhol power plant and mostly-constructed LNG terminal.

"Dabhol is increasingly an important infrastructure for India. It would be a tragedy not to see it come to life," Ms Quinn said.