ONGC capacity increases

SURAT, Sept 24: The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is expected to start one more train by Friday, taking its gas processing capacity to ...

SURAT, Sept 24: The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is expected to start one more train by Friday, taking its gas processing capacity to 22 MMSCM, and increase the supply to the Gas Authority of India Limited which in turn will pump it into the Hajira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur pipeline. Group general manager S Prasad said commissioning of one more train would enable it to supply 5 MMSCM gas from Friday morning.

The National Thermal Power Corporation was still running one turbine as power requirement is less in the wake of a good monsoon. The ONGC has supplied 8,000 KL naphtha to the corporation, which will enable it to run the turbine for about eight days. The ONGC supplied 2,000 KL naphtha to Essar on Thursday.

The Gujarat Gas Company Limited, too, increased supply to its industrial customers after receiving more gas from GAIL. The company, which was running the show on supplies from the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited, had cut down on supply to industrial users while ensuring uninterrupted supply to domestic and commercial consumers.

In addition to the 3.5 lakh cubic metre it was getting from GSPCL it received 2.5 lakh cubic meter from GAIL.

Meanwhile, process houses who depend on GGCL for gas supply have demanded relief in excise duty. A resolution to this effect was passed at a meeting of South Gujarat Processors8217; Association.

The processors said they had to incur production losses of 60 per cent as gas supply was down to 40 per cent. The excise department charges Rs 1.5 lakh excise duty per chamber. The association claimed that some of the units had incurred losses up to Rs 16 crore.

Meanwhile, the flood was learnt to have played havoc with standing crops, with Kamrej and Choryasi taluka farmers registering losses up to Rs 3 crore. Agricultural Produce Market Committee chairman Raman Patel Jani said vegetables worth Rs 50 lakhs in 37 hectares in Kamrej taluka had been destroyed.