Petronet LNG terminal to be commissioned

KOCHI: The Petronet LNG Terminal (PLL) at Puthu Vypeen is likely to be commissioned by the end of 2012. “Completion of the Kochi LNG terminal is on track and satisfactory. We hope to commission the terminal by November-December. Elaborate safety requirements have to be taken,” PLL Managing Director A K Balyan told reporters here on Wednesday.  The terminal was expected to be ready  by July 2012. On the delay in commissioning the terminal, he said it was started with 2.5 Million Metric Tonnes per Annum (MMPTA) capacity and midway a decision was taken to raise it by another 2.5 MMTPA.  “There are strict safety requirements and both have to be commissioned simultaneously,” he pointed out. Petronet proposes to source LNG under a  long-term contract from Australia by 2015 for its plant here. About 1.5 million tonnes would be purchased from Gorgan in Australia and sold to GAIL, BPCL and IOC. There will also be a short-term arrangement besides this.On pipeline connectivity, he said the Gas Authority of India Ltd, which was laying the pipelines, has to expedite the second phase.  By December the pipelines are expected to be ready. On the proposed 1,200-mw gas-based power plant which the PLL was planning to set up in joint venture partnership with the state govt, Balyan said the PLL had informed the govt that the project was feasible and that a power plant integrated with LNG terminal would be more efficient. He pointed out that the PLL had suggested two things to the government- land adjacent to the terminal has to be allocated and that the state must purchase power. The proposal is to have a joint venture company with a gestation of 38-40 months and an estimated project cost of `3,000-4,000 crore. The govt has agreed in-principle to the suggestions, he said.