Torrent to use Petronet’sDahej terminal for importing LNG
Torrent Power Limited has signed an agreement to use Petronet LNG Limited’s Dahej import terminal in Gujarat to ship one million tonnes of LNG every year from 2017.
Petronet, which is expanding its 10 million tonnes a year LNG import facility to 15 million tonnes by 2016-end and a further to 17.5 million tonnes in future, signed the agreement to lease out capacity to Torrent Power for 20 years.
“Petronet LNG and Torrent Power have executed long term capacity booking agreement for 1 million tonnes per annum from Dahej terminal for a period of 20 years starting in 2017,” the company said in a stock exchange filing.
The agreement allows Torrent to use the Dahej terminal to import LNG contracted by it. While Torrent will tie-up the supplies from overseas sellers, Petronet will earn a tolling charge.
Petronet had previously signed similar capacity leasing agreements with state-owned gas utility GAIL India Limited, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GPSC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Limited (BPCL).
It had leased 2.5 million tonnes per annum capacity to GAIL, 2.25 million tonnes to GSPC, 1.5 million tonnes to IOC and 1 million tonnes to BPCL.
Petronet Director (Finance) R K Garg said while GSPC has started using 1.25 million tonnes of the hired capacity, the rest will start using it once the expansion is completed.
The company currently buys 7.5 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from RasGas of Qatar on a long-term contract.
Besides blocking capacity for this volume, it is leasing out capacity to users, he said.
State-owned GAIL, IOC, BPCL and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) hold 12.5 per cent stake each in Petronet LNG, the nation’s biggest LNG importer.
Petronet also has a 5 million tonnes a year LNG import terminal at Kochi in Kerala and is planning to set up a similar capacity terminal at Gangavaram in Andhra Pradesh.