Srinagar, Dec 12 : The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has submitted to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) that there may not be sufficient gas volumes/ capacity available at Jammu for future onward transportation to Srinagar in case of present bidding of a proposed pipeline to Jammu only.
In its views on the PNGRB proposal for development of the natural gas pipeline from Gurdaspur to Jammu, the GAIL has submitted that the gas pipeline to Kashmir may be affected by capacity/volume constraints.
“As per extant regulations, while inviting bids, the bid document indicates only the minimum capacity of pipeline and entities/bidders are free to identify/ prepare demand profiles as per their own respective assessments of the market/ volume requirements along the pipeline to its termination point. In case the present bidding of a proposed pipeline upto Jammu only, there may not be sufficient gas volumes/ capacity at Jammu for future onward transportation to Srinagar. So in case of a decision to develop a pipeline to Srinagar in future (i.e. for achieving the purpose of GoI vision to develop gas-based economy in hilly region of Kashmir), then the same may be affected by capacity/volume constraints,” reads the letter written by Kumar Shanker, Chief General Manager (Marketing, Regulatory Affairs & Transmission), GAIL to PNGRB authorities on October 30, 2022.
A copy of the communique accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) also reveals that the GAIL has submitted that as per a policy directive issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) under section 42 of PNGRB Act, Srinagar was kept as the termination point but now a pipeline has been proposed upto Jammu only.
The GAIL submitted its views after the PNGRB invited views/comments from stakeholders/entities on the proposed Gurdaspur-Jammu gas pipeline.
The PNGRB said it is of the view to develop a natural gas pipeline from Gurdaspur to Jammu to cater the natural gas requirement in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
So it decided to initiate a suo-motu proposal for the development of the natural gas pipeline from Gurdaspur to Jammu under Regulation 4(2) read with Regulation 6 of PNGRB NGPL Authorization Regulations
