JOIN USPrime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday dedicated GAIL (India) Limited’s 1,000 km Dabhol-Bangalore gas pipeline to the nation. The pipeline will connect south India to the national gas grid for the first time.
The Rs 4,500-crore pipeline can carry 16 million standard cubic metres per day of natural gas, which can be used to produce 3,000 MW of clean energy.
The pipeline starts at Dabhol in Maharashtra and passes through Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag, Bellary, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Ramanagaram, Bangalore Rural and Bangalore Urban districts.
It traverses 18 national highways, 382 roads, 20 railway tracks, 11 major rivers and 276 water bodies, including Asia's largest river crossing in the rocky terrain at Ghataprabha. The pipeline was completed earlier this year.
Singh also assured investors of the government’s commitment to provide a stable and enabling policy environment for exploration of new sources of energy.
“India needs to increase its energy supply by three to four times within next two decades. It currently ranks as the world’s seventh largest energy producer, accounting for just about 2.5 per cent of the world’s total annual energy production, while it is the fourth largest energy consumer,” Singh said.
Oil and gas constitutes around 41 per cent of India’s primary energy consumption. The country is expected to be the third largest energy consumer by the year 2020.
Speaking on the occasion, Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily said the country’s 15,000 km network of gas pipelines will be doubled over the next decade to create a national gas grid supplying environment friendly fuel to all corners of the nation.