Several local media reports in India reported on Sunday, citing a press release by Kolkata, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK), that East Horizon Pvt. Limited aims to develop an FSRU-based facility at the Haldia Dock Complex.
In that regard, SMPK and the private firm signed a license agreement for the project on Friday, the reports said.
The project reportedly entails an investment of approximately 26 billion Indian rupees ($281.7 million).
It aims to enhance the port’s capability in handling LNG and marks an “important step” in developing LNG infrastructure in eastern India.
No further details have been revealed.
There is no public data available for East Horizon.
India currently has only onshore LNG import facilities and is facing gas supply disruptions in the wake of the Middle East crisis.
Last week, India’s largest gas utility GAIL announced that it may reduce gas supplies to its downstream customers after it received a force majeure notice from the country’s largest LNG importer Petronet LNG.
State-owned GAIL said on Thursday that one of its long-term suppliers, Petronet, had issued a force majeure notice on March 3 under its gas sale and purchase agreement.
Further, QatarEnergy, Petronet’s upstream LNG supplier, has also issued a communication
indicating a potential force majeure event owing to the recent hostilities in the region, GAIL noted.
GAIL is a shareholder in Petronet, along with three other major Indian firms, ONGC, IOCL, and BPCL.
Petronet operates the 17 mtpa Dahej LNG terminal and expected to launch an additional 5 mtpa capacity at the facility this month.
The company also operates the 5 mtpa Kochi facility.
India imports LNG via eight facilities with a combined capacity of about 52.7 million tonnes per year.
In addition to Petronet’s Dahej and Kochi terminals, the facilities include Shell’s Hazira terminal, the Dabhol LNG, Ennore LNG, Mundra LNG, and Dhamra LNG terminals.
