Asia/Pacific News
Indian LNG Bunkering Pilot Program Planned
The Indian state of Kerala could get a pilot liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering project as part of an expansion of marine transport services along the coast, Indian newspaper The Hindu reports.
The project would piggy-back on an LNG import project at Puthuvype, a growing industrial area in the Kerala city of Kochi.
Kochi could become a hub for the sale of LNG to ships traveling along India's west coast, particularly because ship operators in the area are having trouble sourcing diesel, according to The Hindu.
The terminal, which is being built by Petronet LNG Ltd. and will have a capacity of 5 million tonnes per year, has had its commissioning delayed because most potential gas customers are not yet ready to sign purchase agreements, the Times of India reported in January.
Plans to transport gas by pipeline from Puthuvype to Mangalore and Bangalore have been hit by delays said to be caused by land acquisition issues.
Some have proposed instead constructing a floating regasification unit in Kayamkulam and moving gas by ship, but critics of the idea say that will be too expensive.
India's Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas said August that LNG can reduce expenses by almost a third compared to crude oil in certain applications.
