COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

Gas pipeline burst affects Vijjeswaram power unit in AP

Power generation in the first gas-based Vijjeswaram power plant suffered a major setback following the bursting of a natural gas pipeline of Gas Authority of India Limited.

More than half of 272 mega-watt power production was hit as the plant depends more on natural gas as fuel.

Although the second phase of 172 MW of the plant works both on natural gas as well as naptha as feedstock, the entire first phase of 100 MW works only on natural gas. The plant is now able to produce around 100 MW of power per day.

Meanwhile, the Vijjeswaram plant authorities have sent an SOS to the public sector refinery of the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation at Visakhapatnam to rush more quantity of naptha, at least to run the entire 172 MW phase with uninterrupted power production.

GAIL and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation sources said that a major burst of the 14-inch thick and 97 km-long pipeline supplying natural gas to the plant had occurred in the wee hours of Saturday at Enuguvanilanka village in East Godavary district.

The pipeline was laid at a depth of 20 feet under a drain. GAIL sources said that the actual damage and length of pipeline burst could not be immediately known as it involved more earth work.

Sources said the pipeline burst with a deafening sound damaging some prawn cultivation ponds and also some coconut palms nearby besides affecting the families residing in thatched huts.

Vijjeswaram power plant is a joint undertaking of the Andhra Pradesh State Electricty Board and a host of private industrial unit owners and run by a newly formed company called Andhra Pradesh Gas Power Corporation Limited.

UNI

Business news