KOCHI: The retailing of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) under the brand name of Taral Gas has started for the first time in South India. The first truck carrying 407 mmBtu (7.8 metric tonnes) of LNG from the Petronet’s terminal in Kochi was sent to the HLL Lifecare plant in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
If the test of the fuel is found to be successful, the regular daily supply of LNG will start soon. Taral Gas will be used to run the boiler at the internal factory of HLL Lifecare instead of furnace oil. The company has set up a storage tank and re-gasification facility at Thiruvananthapuram plant spending `3.5 cr to switch over to LNG mode.
“We have switched to LNG in an effort to use a cleaner fuel. The company has signed an agreement with Petronet LNG for supply of Taral Gas for five years. When compared to the existing fuel, the LNG is 10 per cent cheaper. It will take two days to test the fuel and switch over to the new fuel mode. After that the company will be fully equipped to use LNG further,” said K R S Krishnan, senior vice-president (Technical), HLL Lifecare Ltd.
HLL Lifecare has created the new facility so that both Taral Gas and furnace oil could be used in the boiler. This is for the first time that LNG is being supply to customers in the state. It is learnt that more companies are in talks with Petronet LNG for the supply of Taral gas. At present 20 LNG trucks are operating daily in North India carrying fuel to various consumers from the LNG Terminal in Gujarat.