The 718-km Barauni-Guwahati Natural Gas Pipeline (BGPL) will transport around 2.5 MMSCMD natural gas, reduce around 7.67 lakh tonnes per annum CO2 emissions
Mar 12, 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi remotely inaugurated from Jorhat, Assam, the Barauni-Guwahati Natural Gas Pipeline (BGPL), a 718-km-long pipeline having the capacity to transport around 2.5 MMSCMD of natural gas, which will reduce around 7.67 lakh tonnes per annum carbon dioxide emissions, when operated at full capacity.
Built at a cost of INR 3,992 crore by GAIL Limited, a Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the pipeline, having diameter of 24 inches, will link the North Eastern Gas Grid (NEGG) with the National Gas Grid (NGG).
It will create vital infrastructure to supply natural gas to domestic households, industries, commercial units and automobile sectors in the region, providing an environment-friendly and cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels. Besides, the ambitious project will lead to more investments and employment generation in the NorthEast region.
The pipeline is an integral part of the Jagdishpur-Haldia and the Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline project, popularly known as Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga, which will cover six districts in Bihar, five in West Bengal and nine in Assam.
These include Begusarai, Khagaria, Madhepura, Purnia, Araria and Kishanganj districts in Bihar; Uttar Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts in West Bengal; and Kokrajhar, Chirang, Barpeta, Baksa, Nalbari, Kamrup, Darrang, Bongaigaon and Kamrup Metropolitan districts in Assam.
It will supply natural gas to around 29 lakh households in nine geographical areas (GAs) through city gas distribution (CGD) entities authorised by the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board along the pipeline route. Over 614 CNG stations have been planned in these areas.
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As per a statement issued by GAIL, BGPL is a unique Natural Gas Pipeline project in terms of application of technology. The GAIL team encountered diverse topographical challenges such as uneven land, hilly terrain, muddy turf and even deep water, which were overcome efficiently and strict deadlines were effectively met.
As per GAIL, the pipeline passed across four rivers – Teesta, Raidak, Sankosh and Kanamakra, with a wider width. It said for the first time ever, GAIL worked on the application of micro tunnelling. The team crossed the Brahmaputra river over a width of 3.6 km by adopting the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) process, besides two rigs intersection technique from both sides.
The statement added that all mitigation measures were adopted to minimise the environmental impact of deteriorating water quality, loss of topsoil and vegetative cover along the route.
