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Panaji: Continuing to explore new avenues of growth, Mormugao Ports Authority (MPA) is toying with the idea of setting up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bunker station on 20,500sqm of land in the vicinity of the Goa International Airport, Dabolim.
MPA has not finalised the plans and “is merely exploring the possibility and feasibility of such project” sources said. Port officials said that they are trying to supply the LPG or LNG to industries if possible.
“Mormugao Port intends to establish a port-based LNG or LPG bunkering station at Dabolim on a plot owned by the port. We hope that this will create integrated infrastructure facilities and strengthen the traffic through the port,” said an official.
MPA will not operate the bunkering station and is exploring the public private partnership (PPP) route. The port will decide on the infrastructure, cost and operations at a later stage.
As per MPA’s plans, ships will bring in the LPG or LNG and the gas will be transported by road to Dabolim and subsequently sold to institutional buyers, industries and retail buyers.
MPA is one of the country’s major ports but has been struggling for the past decade due to the closure of mining and lack of industrial output. The port is incurring steady losses with officials saying that in order to turn profitable, the port needs to handle between 24-25 million metric tonne cargo annually. In the last financial year the port was just about able to handle 18 million metric tonnes of cargo. With iron ore mining stopped, the port has turned to other cargo particularly sugar exports to try and stay afloat.
The port has not floated a tender for the gas project as yet but it may pursue the auction route if the response from the private sector is encouraging, said a source.
“The plot is outside custom bonded area and it will be most likely offered on a 30-year lease, said an official.
MPA has not finalised the plans and “is merely exploring the possibility and feasibility of such project” sources said. Port officials said that they are trying to supply the LPG or LNG to industries if possible.
“Mormugao Port intends to establish a port-based LNG or LPG bunkering station at Dabolim on a plot owned by the port. We hope that this will create integrated infrastructure facilities and strengthen the traffic through the port,” said an official.
MPA will not operate the bunkering station and is exploring the public private partnership (PPP) route. The port will decide on the infrastructure, cost and operations at a later stage.
As per MPA’s plans, ships will bring in the LPG or LNG and the gas will be transported by road to Dabolim and subsequently sold to institutional buyers, industries and retail buyers.
MPA is one of the country’s major ports but has been struggling for the past decade due to the closure of mining and lack of industrial output. The port is incurring steady losses with officials saying that in order to turn profitable, the port needs to handle between 24-25 million metric tonne cargo annually. In the last financial year the port was just about able to handle 18 million metric tonnes of cargo. With iron ore mining stopped, the port has turned to other cargo particularly sugar exports to try and stay afloat.
The port has not floated a tender for the gas project as yet but it may pursue the auction route if the response from the private sector is encouraging, said a source.
“The plot is outside custom bonded area and it will be most likely offered on a 30-year lease, said an official.
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