Bhubaneswar, Nov. 19 (IANS): Energy companies will invest about Rs 3,424 crore in city gas distribution projects in seven geographical areas (GAs) covering 17 districts in Odisha, an official said on Monday.
The gas distribution companies will make the investments over eight years in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Bargarh, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has offered 86 new GAs covering 174 districts across the country in its 9th City Gas Distribution (CGD) Bidding Round.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for CGD projects in 63 GAs across India, including seven in Odisha, through a live video streaming programme at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on November 22.
Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other dignitaries will be present on the occasion, said Pritish Bharat, Odisha state-level coordinator of oil industries.
Bharat Gas Resources Ltd was awarded the GAs for Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Bargarh, Deogarh, Sambalpur districts and will invest Rs 1,252 crore, he said.
It will have 61 CNG stations in the nine districts with 67,000 households connected with piped natural gas.
Subsequently, Adani Gas Ltd has bagged the contract for Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj districts for 20 CNG stations and 1.5 lakh domestic connections over a span of 8 years with a total investment of Rs 500 crores.
GAIL Gas Ltd will invest Rs 1,672 crore in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Ganjam, Nayagarh and Puri districts, said Bharat.
Rs 944 crore will be invested in Sundargarh and Jharsuguda. The two districts will have 20 CNG stations and approximately 1 lakh households connected with piped natural gas.
For Ganjam, Nayagarh and Puri districts, the investment is estimated at Rs 728 crore. The districts will have 15 CNG stations and approximately 51,000 households connected with piped natural gas.
