Developer gets coastal regulation zone approval for floating storage and regasification units in Bay of Bengal
Big on energy
The Hiranandanis are already progressing on construction of their storage facility in the west coast where group outfit H-Energy Gateway Pvt Ltd in October issued contract to Sener-Afcons JV for setting up an 8 mtpa LNG import, storage and regasification terminal at Jaigadh port in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. Another group arm, H-Energy East Coast Pvt Ltd, plans to set up an offshore floating storage facility near Digha coast of 8 mtpa capacity with an intent to supply natural gas to the eastern and northern states of India through the proposed Haldia-Jagdishpur pipeline of GAIL.
There seems to be a rush to set up LNG floating storage and regasification units in the east cost with the real estate developers Hiranandanis joining the fray. Their proposed project in Bengal has just received the crucial coastal regulation zone approval even as GAIL plans to float its own tender for a similar project at Kakinada in Andhra soon.
The Hiranandanis, known for their real estate projects in Mumbai and elsewhere are the latest to rush to the deep waters of Bay of Bengal to start work on the latest FSRU ín the east coast, which the group claims would transform gas availability and usage in the eastern region particularly in West Bengal.
The project has already gathered steam, being unveiled at the recently Bengal Business Summit by group head Niranjan Hiranandani last week and getting the crucial Coastal Regulation Zone approval, officials of the group said.
According to a study by International Maritime Associates Inc, there are about five FSRUs being planned in the country including the GAIL-Andhra Pradesh joint venture of 3.5 mtpa capacity.
The rest three projects are Petronet's Gangavaram terminal of 5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) capacity at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; Pipavav terminal of 4.5 mtpa planned by Swan Energy at Gujarat; VGS India's facility at the west coast in Tamil Nadu.
The Hiranandanis are already progressing on construction of their storage facility in the west coast where group outfit H-Energy Gateway Pvt Ltd in October issued contract to Sener-Afcons JV for setting up an 8 mtpa LNG import, storage and regasification terminal at Jaigadh port in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.
Another group arm, H-Energy East Coast Pvt Ltd, plans to set up an offshore floating storage facility near Digha coast of 8 mtpa capacity with an intent to supply natural gas to the eastern and northern states of India through the proposed Haldia-Jagdishpur pipeline of GAIL.
Getting the CRZ approval was crucial for the project as Digha, a popular tourist destination is an ecologically sensitive area.
The floating storage is planned about 115 km away from the shore outside the territorial waters of India but within the exclusive economic zone connected by an under-sea pipeline to the 2 km long on-shore pipeline and on-shore receiving facilities.
"The proposed development is not anticipated to pose any significant adverse impact on the coastal communities or their livelihood since the land requirement for the on-shore facility is small (less than 10 acres) and H-Energy is evaluating various options for sitting the on-shore facility to ensure that any such potential adverse impacts associated with meeting the land requirement is either minimized or completely avoided," the CRZ clearance letter said.
Commissioning of the project has been planned for the fourth quarter of 2018 at an investment of Rs 2,400 crore on the FSRU and another Rs 2,700 crore on the total gas pipeline system, both sub-sea and onshore components put together, officials of H-Energy said.
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