Bhadrak: The ‘Bhumi Pujan’ (ground breaking ceremony) for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project, a major initiative in the energy sector in Odisha, was held at Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district in the state today.
Addressing the huge gathering on the occasion, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said this 5 MMTPA capacity LNG terminal is expected to be commissioned by 2020-21 at an estimated cost of Rs 6,000 crore.
Natural Gas from this LNG terminal will also be an important gas supply source for the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (Jagdishpur- Haldia -Bokaro- Dhamra ) Pipeline Project. It would also meet the gas requirements of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. refineries at Barauni in Bihar, Haldia in West Bengal & Paradip in Odisha, claimed Pradhan.
The Union Minister further said that the Dhamara LNG terminal will be a source of huge employment and investment opportunities for Odisha as well as other parts of eastern India, besides providing access to clean fuel.
Pradhan urged the Naveen Patnaik Government to provide necessary support to ensure smooth execution of the terminal infrastructure in the best interest of the people of the state, and overall growth of the nation.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik didn’t attend today’s ground breaking ceremony programme, though an invitation card jointly issued by GAIL, Indian Oil and Adani Group had mentioned ‘Bhumi Pujan’ by Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Odisha in the august presence of Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.
Meanwhile, BJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Pratab Deb has clarified that since the ground breaking ceremony programme has been conducted as if it is a BJP party programme but not a Government programme, the Chief Minister decided to skip the event.
The mega energy project of national importance is a joint venture of GAIL, Indian Oil, and Adani Group.
Kalinga AI