10 February 2004
Dahej (India): Finance Minister and RasGas Chairman H E Yousuf Hussein Kamal yesterday said Qatar was proud to be associated with India’s strategic vision to introduce a new, clean and efficient energy supply.
“We look forward to contributing to that vision and expanding our co-operation with India in LNG trade and several others areas,” the minister said at his address at the dedication of the Rs30bn LNG terminal owned by Indian firm Petronet at Dahej in Gujarat.
Terming the Dahej terminal inauguration a significant milestone in Qatar–India relationship Kamal said it once again proved how a relationship built on trust could yield results.
Kamal emphasised that RasGas had clinched the Petronet deal through tough international bidding. In the 1998 tender some 17 major companies had participated.
“We were chosen from among them. It was not an easy task,” he said.
Kamal, who was the chief guest at the terminal dedication attended among others by Indian federal minister for petroleum and natural gas Ram Naik, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Qatar’s ambassador to India Yousuf Al Sayi, said the arrival of the first RasGas cargo on board Disha — a Rs8bn tanker owned by a consortium comprising Qatar Shipping, State-owned Shipping Corporation of India and Mitsui OSK — was indeed a “groundbreaking” event.
“Qatar wishes to thank the Government of India and Petronet for their courage, strength and conviction to see the Dahej project through from conception, negotiation and construction, to this day of project commissioning,” Kamal added.
The Qatari delegation comprised among others RasGas vice-chairman Dr Ibrahim B Ibrahim and managing director Jerry J Wolhan.
India’s first Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at Dahej, 120 km from Baroda, was dedicated to the nation by Petroleum Minister Ram Naik.
With this, India has joined the elite LNG Club of select nations, which will help India achieve the much-needed energy security for becoming a developed nation.
The terminal will supply natural gas to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana. The supplies from this terminal would create additional capacities for Compressed Natural Gas and also provide piped domestic gas to millions of homes.
The Dahej terminal can be expanded at a low cost and the project would soon be augmented to tap the new markets within Gujarat by supplying to GSPL and to consumers in Maharashtra by the proposed Dahej Uran pipeline, Naik said.
‘’Through Petronet, we have dedicated to the nation a state-of-the-art LNG Terminal which will enable India to receive 20 MMSCMD, constituting almost one-third gas supplies to vital sectors of power and fertilizer,’’ he added.
Minister of State for Petroleum Sumitra Mahajan and senior officials were present on the occasion.
The first ship, ‘’Disha’’, carrying LNG from Qatar berthed at the Dahej port a week ago and the commissioning began some days later.
Dahej (India): Finance Minister and RasGas Chairman H E Yousuf Hussein Kamal yesterday said Qatar was proud to be associated with India’s strategic vision to introduce a new, clean and efficient energy supply.
“We look forward to contributing to that vision and expanding our co-operation with India in LNG trade and several others areas,” the minister said at his address at the dedication of the Rs30bn LNG terminal owned by Indian firm Petronet at Dahej in Gujarat.
Terming the Dahej terminal inauguration a significant milestone in Qatar–India relationship Kamal said it once again proved how a relationship built on trust could yield results.
Kamal emphasised that RasGas had clinched the Petronet deal through tough international bidding. In the 1998 tender some 17 major companies had participated.
“We were chosen from among them. It was not an easy task,” he said.
Kamal, who was the chief guest at the terminal dedication attended among others by Indian federal minister for petroleum and natural gas Ram Naik, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Qatar’s ambassador to India Yousuf Al Sayi, said the arrival of the first RasGas cargo on board Disha — a Rs8bn tanker owned by a consortium comprising Qatar Shipping, State-owned Shipping Corporation of India and Mitsui OSK — was indeed a “groundbreaking” event.
“Qatar wishes to thank the Government of India and Petronet for their courage, strength and conviction to see the Dahej project through from conception, negotiation and construction, to this day of project commissioning,” Kamal added.
The Qatari delegation comprised among others RasGas vice-chairman Dr Ibrahim B Ibrahim and managing director Jerry J Wolhan.
India’s first Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at Dahej, 120 km from Baroda, was dedicated to the nation by Petroleum Minister Ram Naik.
With this, India has joined the elite LNG Club of select nations, which will help India achieve the much-needed energy security for becoming a developed nation.
The terminal will supply natural gas to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana. The supplies from this terminal would create additional capacities for Compressed Natural Gas and also provide piped domestic gas to millions of homes.
The Dahej terminal can be expanded at a low cost and the project would soon be augmented to tap the new markets within Gujarat by supplying to GSPL and to consumers in Maharashtra by the proposed Dahej Uran pipeline, Naik said.
‘’Through Petronet, we have dedicated to the nation a state-of-the-art LNG Terminal which will enable India to receive 20 MMSCMD, constituting almost one-third gas supplies to vital sectors of power and fertilizer,’’ he added.
Minister of State for Petroleum Sumitra Mahajan and senior officials were present on the occasion.
The first ship, ‘’Disha’’, carrying LNG from Qatar berthed at the Dahej port a week ago and the commissioning began some days later.
© The Peninsula 2004
