Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project

In news : GAIL completes the more than 340 kilometer pipeline from Dobhi in Bihar to Durgapur in West Bengal which is part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project

A brief note on the project

Recently, GAIL India has put West Bengal on the gas map of India after it completed laying a Rs 2,433-crore pipeline that will bring to the state cooking fuel that is cheaper than LPG and CNG that costs less than petrol and diesel, and fuel to produce urea for all its requirement.
The 348-kilometer pipeline from Dobhi in Bihar to Durgapur in West Bengal is part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project to take environment-friendly natural gas to India’s eastern parts which was left untouched by the benefits of gas-based economy.
The pipeline will provide gas to Matix fertiliser plant at Durgapur, which can produce “the entire requirement of urea of West Bengal
Besides supplying gas that is cheaper than alternate liquid fuels to industries, the pipeline would also bring the city gas network in towns along its route

Prime Minister dedicates to nation four infrastructure projects worth Rs 4,700 crore at Haldia in West Bengal

Recently, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the second Catalytic-Isodewaxing Unit at the Haldia refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited.
He also inaugurated three projects including Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, BPCL’s LPG Import Terminal, GAIL’s Dobhi-Durgapur Natural Gas Pipeline and NHAI’s four lane road overbridge cum flyover at Ranichak.

About the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project

It is a gas pipeline project launched in 2016 and will cater to the energy requirements of five states, namely Uttar Pradesh(338 KM), Bihar(441KM), Jharkhand(500KM), Odisha(781KM) and West Bengal(542).

Objective: The scheme is directed to provide piped cooking gas to the households of five states

Key features

The project is also known as Jagdishpur – Haldia & Bokaro – Dhamra Pipeline Project (JHBDPL)
Aim: to have a gas based economy and to enhance the share of gas in the energy basket to 15%.
The project is committed to provide the household members health safety by providing clean fuel with the piped gas to the locals of Varanasi and later to Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
The seven main station cities include Varanasi, Patna, Bokaro, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as the major beneficiaries of the project.
The main trunk of the pipeline ends at Haldia (West Bengal) and Dhamra (Odisha).
The project is being implemented by state-run gas utility
The government also plans to create 25 industrial clusters in these states which can utilise the gas as fuel and generate employment in these areas.
The project was estimated to get complete in 2020, after which people can get gas supply at their houses itself.
It can also give a lot of benefits to help renewal of a number of declining fertiliser industrialised units and other sectors like Power and Automotive.
In this scheme not only households but about half a million vehicles may switch over to CNG mode so that the problem of fuel in the country could be resolved.