The proposed Rs 5,150-crore Ennore LNG Terminal project has been cleared by the petroleum regulatory board. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board has authorised IOC to lay the 1,170-km pipeline linking the terminal to come up at Ennore to important consumption centres. The Rs2,800-crore pipeline will link Ennore-Thiruvallur-Bengaluru-Puducherry- Nagapattinam-Madurai-Tuticorin. This is a crucial stage in IOC making available natural gas to fuel industry and houses in Tamil Nadu by mid-2018 using LNG imported at the proposed Ennore Terminal. The public sector oil company is confident of having the infrastructure to supply the fuel in the State by mid-2018, according to the company officials.
The five-million-tonne-a-year natural gas terminal coming up to the north of Chennai is on schedule for completion in mid-2018. Natural gas will be available up to 50 km on either side of the trunk line. The oil company has called for bids to carry out a Right-of-User survey for the pipeline and this is likely to be awarded within a month. IOC has the Right-of-Use for the Madurai-Tiruchi section which will run along an existing route for a petroleum products pipeline.
