GAIL to invest Rs 18,000 cr to lay 5,000 km gas pipelines

New Delhi, Mar 30 (UNI) GAIL India Ltd today said it has drawn an outlay of Rs 18,000 crore to build five new pipelines along with three capacity augmentation lines in the next five years.

''We will invest around Rs 18,000 crore for for five new natural gas pipelines on 'common carrirer' basis. The total length for five pipelines will be 3,300 km and along with the three capacity augmentation lines, it will be around 5,000 km,'' Gail India CMD U D Choubey told reporters here.

Mr Choubey said Rs 18,000 crore will be utilised in two phases.

In the first phase, the company will invest Rs 8,000 crore to build 2200 km of pipeline, which will be completed by 2008-09.

In phase-II, it will cover 3,000 km. It is expected to be completed by 2010-11 at an investment of Rs 10,000 crore.

The move will take the company's revenues to Rs 5,800 crore by 2011-12 from the present Rs 2,000 crore, the CMD added.

The projected availability of gas is expected to increase to 170 mmscmd in the coming two years from 95 mmscmd at present.

The Ministy of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has approved the request of the company for inviting Expression of Interest (EOI) for five pipelines which include Dadri-Bawana-Nangal, Chainsa-Gurgaon-Jhajjhar-Hissar, Jagdishpur-Haldia, Dabhol-Bangalore and Kochi-Kanjirkkod-Bangalore pipeline.

GAIL will invite EOI for the 5,000 km pipelines as soon as the approval by the government is authorised, said Mr Choubey.

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