CNG supply begins in Pune

Pune's MP Suresh Kalmadi inaugurated the first CNG (compressed natural gas) distribution facility at Vardhaman service station at Warje on Friday. The event marked the beginning of the CNG distribution network of the Maharasthra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL), a joint venture of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, in the city. Speaking on the occasion, U.D. Choubey, CMD, GAIL, said his company is committed to the cause of promoting a cleaner environment through the use of CNG. GAIL has laid a 30-inch diameter pipeline from a tap-off point at Kargaon on the Dahej-Panvel-Dabhol pipeline to Pune at an investment of Rs 300 crore.MNGL has plans to open two more daughter booster stations and one mother station next week. Another three daughter booster stations will be opened by mid December and two mother stations by December end. The company plans to open 14 CNG stations in the city by end of March 2009. Technically, a mother station is the point from where transfer of gas to smaller pumps, known as daughter stations, takes place. According to MNGL officials, the investment envisaged for the city gas distribution project in the city in the first phase is Rs 220 crore by December 2009. The total investment envisaged for the overall project is Rs 460 crores over a 10-year period. Around 40,000 vehicles — including buses, autos and taxis — are expected to be converted to CNG in the first phase by December next year. By then, the total number of CNG stations in the city will go up to 29. MNGL will also start supplying piped natural gas (PNG) to households in the city and Pimpri-Chinchwad by February next year. MNGL officials said the government of India has allocated 0.4 million metric standard cubic meter per day (MMSCMD) of natural gas for Pune. The total potential of natural gas for the city gas distribution network for Pune is estimated at 2.5 MMSCMD.