Petronet LNG Limited, one of the companies in the Indian energy sector, has set up the country's first LNG receiving and regasification terminal in Dahej, Gujarat, and another terminal in Kochi, Kerala. While the Dahej terminal has a nominal capacity of 17.5 million tonnes per year, the Kochi terminal has a capacity of 5 million tonnes per year. The company is in the process to build a third terminal in Gangavaram, Andhra Pradesh. Formed as a joint venture by the Government of India to import LNG and set up LNG terminals in the country, it involves India's leading oil and natural gas industry players. Its promoters are GAIL Limited, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. The authorized capital is Rs. 3,000 crore. The company selected Gaz de France as its strategic partner. The company has also signed an LNG sale and purchase agreements with Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Ltd, Qatar for the supply of 8.5 MTPA LNG to India. Petronet LNG Ltd has set up its first LNG terminal in Dahej in Gujarat with the capacity of 15 million metric tons per year. Capacity of Dahej Terminal will expand to 17.5 million tons per year till 2019. Another terminal with capacity 5 million tons per year is commissioned in Kochi and started its operations in August 2013. Petronet LNG is planning to set up its third LNG terminal with capacity 5 million tons per year probably in Andhra Pradesh. Kochi LNG Terminal is situated in the Special Economic Zone of Puthuvypeen near the entrance to Cochin Port, Kerala. The jetty facility at Kochi terminal is designed to receive LNG tankers of capacity from 65,000 m3 up to 216,000 m3, with possibility to take suitable smaller ships. There are various services offered by Petronet LNG Limited, like regasification, storage and reloading, bunkering, gassing-up and cooling-down facilities and LNG truck loading facilities. In September 2019, PetroNet signed an MoU with United States-based Tellurian Inc to purchase a stake in the latter's Driftwood project in Louisiana and to import 5 million tonnes of LNG annually. The deal is expected to be finalized by 31 March 2020.
