Set up gas-based power plant: Centre to Kerala
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas DharmendraPradhan on Friday urged the Kerala Government to consider setting up a gas-based power plant in the State.
Addressing a function organised in connection with the golden jubilee of BPCL- Kochi Refinery at Ambalamugal here, Pradhan said pipe-laying from the Kochi Petronet LNG Terminal to Mangaluru would be carried out expeditiously with cooperation of the State Government. He lauded the State Government for the cooperation it extended to the pipeline project. On the occasion, the Minister also unveiled a plaque commemorating the golden jubilee.
“The Chief Minister of Kerala held discussions with the Prime Minister over the project to lay gas pipeline from Kochi to Mangaluru. It is learnt that the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has tendered the work,” he said, adding that the Integrated Refinery Expansion Project (IREP), the biggest Central investment in Kerala, would be commissioned by year-end. The project will enhance the capacity of Kochi Refinery to 15.5 MMPTA (million metric tonnes per annum)
There is an increase in the consumption of petrol, diesel and LPG in Kerala, with petrol consumption recording a double-digit growth,” he said and praised the State for its efforts to replace LPG with CNG.
Speaking on the occasion, Electricity Minister KadakampallySurendran said Kochi Refinery’s IREP was the best example to show that Kerala was an investment- friendly State “Work on the IREP is progressing, without being disrupted for a single day due to labour strike, and it is in the final stage,” said Surendran.
BPCL chairman and managing director S Varadarajan welcomed the gathering, while V P Sajeendran MLA presided over. K V Thomas MP; Innocent MP; MLAs Hibi Eden and M Swaraj; and former MP and CPM district secretary P Rajeev were also present.
