BHUBANESWAR : The capital city will get state’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) stations at Chandrasekharpur and Patia to supply CNG to vehicles. Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan will inaugurate these stations and launch CNG-run scooters here on Saturday.
It will come up under the project of City Gas Distribution (CGD) project implemented by the GAIL (India) Limited, a government-owned natural gas transmission company. City’s like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai have these facilities before.
Ashutosh Karnatak, director (projects) of GAIL (India) Limited, told media persons here that two more stations are being constructed at Khandagiri and Tamando in the city. “We are planning to build 15 similar stations in Bhubaneswar and 10 others at Cuttack in phase wise to promote the use of CNG,” he added.
He said overall expenditure for the twin city CGD projects will be Rs 1700 crore. The company is planning to spend Rs 400 crore in twin city in next three to five years, he added.
The officer said CNG is one of the most environment-friendly fuels as compared to conventional ones due to lack of impurities such as sulphur or lead. “It is safe because it is lighter than air and rises up in case of leakage. It is also economical than other fuels. We call it ‘Happy Fuel’ because it is an economical, environment friendly, convenient and safer fuel,” he added.
He said 50 CNG-run auto rickshaws and 17 scooters will be launched in the city on Saturday. To avail the service, an owner has to convert his/her scooter into CNG mode, he added. According to GAIL India, the rate of 1 kg of CNG is Rs 59. “A CNG-run scooter can run 80 km per one kg of this fuel. An Auto rickshaw can show a mileage of 120 km per 4 kg of CNG. A person can save 30 per cent in auto rickshaw and 50 per cent in scooter than the conventional fuels,” said Karnatak.
Initially, the company will bring natural gas to Bhubaneswar in special containers called as ‘cascades’ by road from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Later it will be supplied through the 2,655 km long Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL), which is known as Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project.
The minister will also lay foundation stone on Sunday for two gas pipelines- one new Dhamra-Angul main line and Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Paradip spur line- to supply gas to the CGD project and other commercial purposes. For the 769-km-long gas pipeline project in Odisha, the company will spend Rs 4,000 crore. It will cover 13 districts and major industrial clusters of the state. “We have set a target to complete the project by December 2019,” said Karnatak.
Besides, the gas transporter will sign term-sheets with industrial customers for supply of natural gas and a MoU for skill development of local youths to ensure their employability in various important jobs related to the gas pipeline project.