Engineers India to inspect GAIL pipeline network

Following the gas pipeline explosion in Nagaram village, East Godavari, on Friday 27 June, which left 19 people dead and several others injured, the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) has appointed Engineers India Ltd to inspect its 870 km pipeline network from the Krishna-Godavari Basin on the east coast.

"Engineers India Ltd has been commissioned to do a comprehensive health check up of all the lines,” stated a GAIL senior official. “Replacement plans will be finalised as per the study report. However, we have been directed not to start any repair work till clearance from district administration is given."

The capacity of GAIL’s 870 km network is 15.9 million m³/d of natural gas; however, only around 5 million m³/d is being supplied due to unavailability of gas from the Krishna-Godavari Basin, which is spread across some 50 000 km² in the Krishna River and Godavari River basins in Andhra Pradesh. Currently, gas supplies have been further reduced to around 3 million m³/d.

Although there is some flexibility built into the system to maintain alternate minimum supply to consumers, as a precautionary measure a large part of network is “either been shut down or being operated at reduced pressure," the official stated.

Edited from various sources by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/08072014/engineers_india_to_inspect_gail_pipeline_network_613/