Oil sector regulator Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has authorised development of nearly 1,800 km of new LPG pipelines at an estimated investment of Rs7,000 crore, including a 556-km stretch from Cherlapally in Telanagana to Nagpur.The projects, to be developed by state-run GAIL (India) Ltd, will take the PNGRB-authorised common-carrier LPG pipeline network from about 7,700 km to nearly 9,500 km, an increase of around 23.5%.Once the route is identified, GAIL would be going ahead with appointing consultants and take up the statutory approvals for the project, a source said.This would be the second pipeline operated by GAIL in the region. The public sector undertaking already runs a LNG pipeline from Mumbai till Jharsudga in Odisha through Nagpur, with a diversion to Jabalpur. The pipeline has already been commissioned.The other segments for the LPG pipeline are from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh to Sitarganj (Uttarakhand) covering 611 km and a 633-km line Shikrapur (Maharashtra) to Goa and Hubli (Karnataka) line.The expansion comes as India relies heavily on imported LPG, with bulk supplies arriving at coastal import terminals and then being transported to consumption centres across the country. A larger pipeline network is expected to improve the efficiency and reliability of moving LPG inland.
