RIL Likely To Put In Rs 8,000 Cr In AP-Bengal Gas Pipeline

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is expected to invest up to Rs 8,000 crore in the proposed 1,100-km gas pipeline from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to Howrah in West Bengal. The pipeline will connect West Bengal to the company''s major finds in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) and Mahanadi-NEC basins. Additional investments ranging up to Rs 5,000 crore may be made in creating city gas distribution infrastructure in Kolkata, Howrah, Hoogly, Midnapore and Burdwan. RIL is likely to supply 3.5 million metric standard cubic metre of natural gas a day (mmscmd) for city gas usage in the five locations. RIL has already promised to reach natural gas in the region by 2009-10. The company has also entered into an MoU with the State Government in this regard. The company has finalised plans to produce 80 mmscmd of gas from the KG basin and is preparing development plans for finds in the Mahanadi-NEC block.