Demand for liquefied natural gas likely to go up in international market

The shutting down of nuclear power plants in Japan in the wake of the disaster borne out of massive tremor and tsunami there will have an impact on the energy scenario in Kerala. Projects based on liquefied natural gas (LNG), including the project to be commissioned in Kochi later this year, will have to chalk out strategies to face the increased demand for LNG in the international market.

Laying of pipelines for carrying regassified LNG (liquefied natural gas) from Puthuvype to Kochi and beyond is on schedule and no hitch is expected, according to GAIL (India) Limited officials here.

There have been some enquiries from the Forest Department about certain patches of land in Palakkad where the pipeline is to pass through. These are normal queries and are being replied to, a senior official of GAIL told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has sanctioned the proposal of Petronet LNG Limited (PLL) to enhance the re-gasification capacity of its LNG project at Puthuvype in Kochi from 2.5 MMTPA (million metric tonne per annum) to 5 MMTPA.

The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry had examined an environment impact assessment report submitted by the company before giving the nod, top PLL officials told The Hindu on Friday.