Kanara chamber seeks LNG handling facilities at New Mangalore Port.

The Mangaluru-based Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has requested the Union Petroleum Ministry to set up LNG handling infrastructure at New Mangalore Port.

A KCCI delegation led by its president Nigam Vasani met the Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, during his recent visit to Mangaluru and made a plea in this regard.

Vasani said the proposal for setting up an LNG terminal at New Mangalore Port has been pending for over a decade.

Requesting the government to sanction a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) to handle LNG at New Mangalore Port, he said the economic justification for the same was already established.

There is a demand for over 5 million tonnes of LNG in Karnataka. In fact, the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have a demand of 2.5 million tonnes. Karnataka, which has no energy resources of its own, requires special attention, he said.

Stressing the need for importing methane-rich LNG, Vasani said methane can be used as feedstock for fertilisers and clean power.

HBL