Singapore-based LNG Alliance is opening a new office in India’s Chennai as it looks to invest in the country’s growing liquefied natural gas sector.
The firm says the Chennai office would help it in forging ahead with the development of India’s virtual gas pipelines, downstream gas market integration, and LNG bunkering possibilities.
LNG Alliance’s introduction to India will be a timely one as India seeks to raise the share of natural gas in its energy mix and is also scouting for affordable gas for price-sensitive customers, it said.
The company says its plans to develop an end-to-end solution for India, using its strategic ownership positions in low-cost LNG supply at around $4/mmBtu on a long-term basis, to meet the country’s demand.
“We are now in a position to deliver LNG through virtual pipelines, which can be a reliable source for city gas distribution, for industrial users, and LNG/CNG based fuel stations,” executive director Cheryl Goh said.
Natural gas power
Goh added that this also includes replacing coal with natural gas for power generation.
“The regasified LNG, tied together with last-mile gas pipeline or virtual pipeline connectivity, could revive more than 10 GW of idle gas-based power plants in India,” Goh said.
The Indian gas market is projected to be the fastest-growing in the world over the next two decades, according to the US EIA.
LNG Alliance says it is working with gas companies in India to build a robust virtual pipeline network to ensure that downstream gas supply remains resilient and undisrupted, allowing it to meet increased energy demand from industries and citizens.
The implementation of a flexible virtual pipeline network will serve as a temporary transportation solution while India’s physical gas pipeline infrastructure is developed.
This also becomes a long-term option in areas where physical natural gas pipelines are not viable.
LNG bunkering projects and expansion plans
Besides bringing gas, LNG Alliance is working with potential third-party usage of existing terminals to maximize their utilization, it said.
Additionally, the firm is setting up two LNG bunkering hubs – one on the East Coast and one on the West, it said.
At the same time, LNG Alliance says it has lined up potential investors who have expressed interest in India’s virtual pipeline infrastructure.
“With these developments, we aim to create price transparency within the gas market on an open platform and discover an effective mechanism to accelerate the growth of city gas distribution,” Muthu Chezhian, LNG Alliance CEO, said.
He said there is vast potential for the gas and energy market in India to grow exponentially including the NGV market.
“LNG as a greener and economic automotive fuel for medium and heavy commercial vehicles reduces fuel cost by about 25 percent and can reduce the national dependence of imported oil by 30 percent,” Chezhian said.
He added the firm is working on establishing LNG fuel stations but is also in talks about a potential investment in an East Coast LNG terminal in India.
Furthermore, the company is also looking into a new project office in Chattogram, Bangladesh, aligned with its plan for developing an onshore LNG terminal.
According to its website, besides Singapore, the firm has offices in Houston and Mexico.