India's largest underground LPG storage facility nears completion in Mangaluru

Mangaluru: The construction of India’s largest LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) storage tunnel in Mangaluru is nearing completion.

The project, spearheaded by the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a government-owned enterprise, is reportedly on track to become operational by the end of December. According to sources nearly 85 percent of the work has been completed.

Approved by the Union Government in 2018, construction of the project commenced in 2019. The installation of pipelines from the mid-sea to the storage facility has been completed, along with the final stages of essential infrastructure.

Situated in the Mangaluru Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), this state-of-the-art storage facility will be capable of accommodating 80,000 metric tonnes of LPG. A 500-meter tunnel has been bored into the rock face to construct the facility.

When completed, the facility at Mangaluru will be India’s underground LPG storage facility. A similar unit is operational in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Notably, two strategic crude oil storage facilities have been operational in the coastal region — one at Permude in Mangaluru and the other at Padur in Udupi. The facility at Permude has a storage capacity of 1.5 million metric tonnes,  while the Padur oil storage facility boasts a capacity of 2.50 million metric tonnes and was commissioned in December 2018.

The completion of the nation’s largest LPG storage tunnel in Mangaluru is anticipated to significantly enhance India’s energy security, ensuring a secure gas supply in critical situations. According to MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, its primary objective is to bolster national preparedness in times of emergencies.