Nagaland has been connected to India’s National Gas Grid for the first time, following the successful injection of natural gas into the Dergaon–Dimapur Pipeline.
This was done by Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL) on Tuesday with the commissioning of the Dergaon–Dimapur section of the Northeast Gas Grid (NEGG). The development, according to various media reports, will enable natural gas from the region to enter the national gas transmission network through Nagaland.
The gas being evacuated through the system is linked to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited’s (ONGC) Jorhat Asset in Assam. ONGC on Tuesday also commissioned gas evacuation facilities at Khoraghat GGS-1 in Golaghat district, enabling surplus associated natural gas from the Upper Assam Shelf to be processed and evacuated through the NEGG.
According to the companies, the infrastructure will initially facilitate the monetisation of approximately 1,10,000 standard cubic metres (SCM) of natural gas per day from ONGC’s Jorhat Asset.
The development is expected to reduce LNG imports by an equivalent quantity, with an estimated economic value of around Rs 300 crore annually, while improving the utilisation of domestic gas resources from the Northeast.
For Nagaland, the new connectivity opens the possibility of greater availability of natural gas for industrial, commercial and other consumers and brings the state into the country’s expanding gas transmission network.
The development also marks the first integration of a regional gas source from the Northeast with the National Gas Grid, according to IGGL.
ONGC is further developing hook-up facilities at Jantapathar and Kasomarigaon to connect additional producing fields of its Jorhat Asset to the NEGG. These projects are expected to augment gas availability and reduce flaring.
The expanded gas infrastructure is also expected to create opportunities in household, industrial, transport and power sectors across Assam and the wider Northeast.
The developments form part of the Centre’s “One Nation, One Gas Grid” vision, aimed at creating an integrated gas transmission network and increasing the use of domestic natural gas resources.