KOCHI: Though much importance is not attached to the implementation of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline laying work by many in the state, the LNG Terminal worth ` 4,500 crore in Kochi is considered to be the yardstick for future development of the state. Not only from the Prime Minister himself, the state government will also have to face a volley of questions from other state governments such as Karnataka about laying pipelines for the transportation of LNG. Recently the Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister had asked the Karnataka government to pressurise the Kerala Chief Minister for the project as many fertiliser companies in Mangalore are badly in need of the gas. Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson also said that resistance on flimsy grounds and obsolete laws were among the main factors that continue to hinder many development projects including the underground pipe-laying work from Kochi LNG Terminal to Karnataka, and pointed to the success of Gujarat in a similar project.
“Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF) is now permitted to manufacture urea using naphtha till it gets liquefied natural gas from the Kochi terminal. Talks must be initiated with the Kerala government on the LNG pipeline from Kochi to Mangaluru by the Karnataka government. The MCF has readied itself to produce urea using LNG as the feedstock. However, it cannot do so as GAIL could not lay the pipeline from Kerala,” says Union Minister Ananth Kumar.
Experts point out that it is imperative for the state’s development to carry out underground pipe-laying work for carrying LNG from the Kochi LNG terminal to Mangaluru and Bengaluru. Petronet LNG set up the Kochi LNG Terminal at Puthuvype at a cost of about ` 4,500 crore three years ago, but its capacity utilisation was below two per cent due to the delay in completing the pipe-laying work.
The Centre had repeatedly asked the state to complete the LNG project without delay whenever the state approached the Centre for getting sanction for new projects.
