Bihar: In A First, Six Districts Get Connected To National Gas Grid, 282 Km Project To Provide Natural Gas To 40 Million Consumers

In a milestone for gas-based economy in the country, Bihar portion of the Barauni Guwahati pipeline (BGPL), which connects Bihar to the National Gas Grid under the 'Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga' Project has been completed.

The project was completed on 12 April by Gas-in from GAIL’s pipeline network.

With the completion of the Bihar portion of the BGPL, six districts in Bihar — Begusarai, Khagaria, Madhepura, Purnia, Araria and Kishanganj are now connected to the National Gas Grid.

The 282 km Bihar portion of the Barauni-Guwahati pipeline has been completed at investment of Rs 1,260 crore and will provide eco-friendly natural gas to 40 million people in these six districts Bihar.

The pipeline project will provide access to clean natural gas for industries, CNG for vehicles and PNG for homes, promoting a healthier lifestyle.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has lauded the completion of the Bihar portion of the Barauni Guwahati pipeline. Sharing a tweet by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Prime Minister said “This will greatly add to Bihar’s progress.”

Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas pipeline (JHBDPL)

Barauni Guwahati Pipeline (BGPL) is being implemented as an integral part of Jagdishpur- Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline (JHBDPL), commonly known as Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga.

The 3,546-km-long Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas pipeline is being developed by GAIL to connect North-East and part of East Coast with the National Gas Grid.

The JHBDPL will transverse through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam, while catering to the various fertilisers plants, CGD and Petrochemical plants, which have been stranded for gas pipeline connectivity.

In October 2016, work on laying a 2,655-km pipeline from Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal, Bokaro in Jharkhand and Dhamra in Odisha began.

According to the latest update, total commissioned length of JHBDPL including BGPL is 2258 km.

Barauni-Guwahati pipeline

The 726-km Barauni-Guwahati pipeline from Barauni in Begusarai district of Bihar to Guwahati in Assam via West Bengal is an extension of JHBDPL pipeline and has been designed to take the fuel to hereto-unconnected states in the East.

The Barauni-Guwahati pipeline is passing through Bihar, West Bengal and Assam encompassing 20 districts in these states.

Physical progress of the flagship project is 96 per cent complete and is expected to be completed by June 2023.

Feeder Connection to Northeast Gas Grid

Further, JHBDPL through the Barauni-Guwahati pipeline will also connect to North-East Gas grid (NEGG), which will cater to connect eight states of North Eastern India in a phased manner.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has authorised Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL), a joint venture company of five Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) i.e., Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Oil India Ltd, Numaligarh Refineries Ltd (NRL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and GAIL for the development of North East Gas Grid to connect North East region with the National Gas Grid.

The 1656-km-long NEGG Project is 70 per cent complete and the entire project is targeted to be completed by 31 March 2024.