Share of gas in India energy basket to double, says PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister said the pipeline would become the base of the gas distribution system in many cities and will form the base of the CNG based transport system in these cities. (Photo source: ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the share of natural gas in India’s energy basket will be more than doubled and the nation will be connected with ‘one nation one gas grid’ to help bring affordable fuel to people and the industry. He said a gas-based economy is a must to achieve self-reliant India.

The Prime Minister, speaking via a video conference at the inauguration of the 450-km long Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline in Karnataka, said that efforts are on to prepare for the country’s future energy needs. To achieve this goal, natural gas and energy resources are being focused.

The pipeline has been built by GAIL (India) and it has a transportation capacity of 12 million metric standard cubic metres per day and will carry natural gas from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) Regasification Terminal at Kochi (Kerala) to Mangaluru (Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka). The total cost of the project was about Rs 3,000 crore and its construction created over 12 lakh employment.

Prime Minister said the pipeline would become the base of the gas distribution system in many cities and will form the base of the CNG based transport system in these cities. It will also help India in saving thousands of crores of foreign exchange for the country.

He stressed that the pace of work in the connectivity front in the country happening now is never seen before in earlier decades. He further said in the 27 years before 2014, only a 15,000-km natural gas pipeline was built. But right now, work is underway on more than 16,000 km of gas pipeline nationwide which will be complete in the next five-six years.

Modi termed the day an important milestone for both Kerala and Karnataka as the two states are being connected by a natural gas pipeline. He said the pipeline will have a positive impact on the economic growth of these two states.

While listing the advantages of the pipeline, PM Modi said that the pipeline would improve the ease of living in both the states and reduce the expenses of the poor, middle class and entrepreneurs of both the states. It would develop a new ecosystem of employment and self-employment after its commissioning which would help the fertilizer, petrochemical and power sector.

Governors and chief ministers of Karnataka and Kerala, along with Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas were also present during the event.