Tribal area to get natural gas virtually

  • | Thursday | 5th August, 2021

This for the first time in the country where this new system is used in a tribal belt, said a senior official working with Gujarat Gas.

Gujarat Gas Limited is an Indian natural gas distribution company, owned by Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation. Established in 1980, and headquartered in Ahmedabad, the company operates primarily in Gujarat.

It is India`s largest city gas distribution company, has begun supplying natural gas to consumers in the tribal areas of Narmada district by setting up a system where liquefied natural gas (LNG) is delivered using cryogenic trucks.

This for the first time in the country where this new system is used in a tribal belt, said a senior official working with Gujarat Gas.

“It is a very difficult terrain for laying pipeline networks. To make natural gas accessible and affordable in the most ‘aspirational tribal district’ in the shortest possible time, the company has rolled out a virtual CGD network in the district by setting up an LNG dispensing facility at Vavdi village in March this year,” said the official.

The system comprises of LNG storage tank and re-gasification facility and is called virtual CGD network as it is not connected to the gas grid, he added.

The total cost of the system, which includes an LNG tank of 24,000kg capacity, is under Rs 10 crore.
Vavdi is about 19km away from the world’s tallest Statue of Unity at Kevadia and the system is used to supply natural gas for vehicular consumers as well as piped gas for cooking in villages and towns of the district, he said.

At a time when Covid-19 pandemic has made setting up of physical pipeline infrastructure in the country a challenge, Gujarat government laid interior pipeline network at Vavdi and connected to 370 households through the system.

Plans are in place to connect about 2,000 household in Narmada district using the virtual network over the next few months, according to a government official. While providing reliable and consistent supply of an eco-friendly energy source, the system also saves the cost and time spent to set up pipeline infrastructure.

It also allows consumers to fulfil their specific needs through customizable supply. Till date, Gujarat Gas has laid about 33k of internal pipelines in Narmada, especially for last mile network connectivity to households.

The company is currently catering over 10,000kg of CNG demand from vehicular consumers daily.

Such pipeline systems play a significant role in gas distribution to remote locations in North America and the concept is slowly picking up in India. The systems can transport compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to consumers in the distribution network.

Gujarat Gas won CGD license for Narmada district in the ninth round of bidding that was held by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). The company was the sole bidder for the Narmada geographical area (GA).

The existing gas pipeline network is about 42km away from Jhagadia. The topography of Narmada district along with eco-sensitive belts demand considerable time to lay gas pipeline network to serve natural gas users across the district, said sources.


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