The State Government will convene an all-party meeting to sort out issues related to the laying of gas pipeline from the LNG project in Puthuvypeen, Kochi, to the NTPC’s Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Project (RGCCPP) at Kayamkulam, Electricity Minister Aryadan Mohammed informed the Assembly on Tuesday. Although there is a project to convert the fuel base at the NTPC unit to LNG, the government is facing stiff opposition against laying the pipeline both over land and under the sea. Aryadan Mohammed said that the project was a crucial segment in the energy security plans for the state.
The idea is to establish a 1050 MW LNG-based power plant at Kayamkulam, which, at the moment, is underutilised.
“If the pipeline is laid, we can make the conversion at less than `60 crore and commission the project in six months’ time,’’ the Minister said. Kerala has lined up a number of LNG-based power projects, including the 1050 MW Kayamkulam project, another 1050 MW plant at Brahmapuram, Kochi; a 1200 MW plant Puthuvype and the 1200 MW project at Cheemeni in Kasargode. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone for the stage II works at NTPC, Kayamkulam, eight years ago. In his February 2005 speech, the Prime Minister had stated that LNG would be the fuel source for Kayamkulam also.