348-km Dobhi-Durgapur natural gas pipeline built by GAIL was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. The commissioning of the Dhobi-Durgapur gas pipeline has helped Essar reach gas it produces from coal seams to Durgapur fertiliser plant in West Bengal, helping meet the urea requirement of the state. Prashant Ruia, Director, Essar Capital, said, “With the commissioning of the Dhobi-Durgapur natural gas pipeline, gas from Essar Oil and Gas E&P Limited’s (EOGEPL) Raniganj block will be made available to GAIL India, thereby helping the people of the region with the availability of best-in-class fertilizer.”
The company operates the Raniganj East Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Block in West Bengal. In August 2018, EOGEPL had signed a Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) to sell gas produced from the block to state-owned gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd for a 15-year period. The company said the pipeline will help evacuate gas from its Raniganj coal-bed methane (CBM) block to the Matix fertilizer plant at Durgapur.