GAIL set to establish 26 bio CNG plants

GAIL (India) is set to establish 26 Bio CNG plants within the next two to three years, collaborating with raw material suppliers and biogas producers as joint venture partners. The initiative, requiring an investment of up to Rs 1,300 crore, includes equity contributions of 30 percent from GAIL and its partners.

To facilitate this, GAIL has issued an expression of interest (EoI) across India, inviting companies meeting specific criteria to form joint ventures for sourcing raw materials such as paddy straw, municipal solid waste, and sugarcane press muds.

In a related development, GAIL plans to import ethane from ethane-rich countries, transporting it through its pipeline systems to key demand centres. The company has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Shell Energy India for importing ethane and other hydrocarbons, and for developing the necessary evacuation infrastructure at Shell Energy Terminal, Hazira.