Text of PM’s address at laying of foundation stone of key projects of Oil & Gas sector in Tamil Nadu

Prime Minister’s Office

17 FEB 2021

Vanakkam!

Governor of Tamil Nadu Shri Banwarilal Purohit Ji, Chief, Minister of Tamil Nadu Shri Palaniswami Ji, Deputy Chief, Minister of Tamil Nadu Shri Panneerselvam Ji, My Cabinet colleague Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Ji. Dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen

Vanakkam!

I am deeply honoured to be present here today. We are here to celebrate the beginning of important oil and gas projects. These are important not only for Tamil Nadu, but also for the whole country.

Friends,

I want to begin by sharing two facts that would make you think. In 2019-20, India imported over 85 percent of oil  and 53 per cent of gas to meet the demand. Can a diverse and talented nation like ours be so energy import dependent? I do not want to criticise anyone but I want to say:Had we focused on these subjects much earlier, our middle class would not be burdened.

Now, it is our collective duty to work towards:Clean and green sources of energy. Reduce energy dependence. Our Government is sensitive to the concerns of the middle class. That is why India is now:Increasing the focus on ethanol to help farmers and consumers. Furthering usage of solar power to become a leader in the sector. Encouraging public transport to make people’s lives productive and easy. Embracing alternative sources like LED Bulbs to enable huge savings for middle class households.

India has now come out with a scrappage policy to help lakhs of people. More Indian cities have metro coverage than ever before. Solar pumps are getting more popular. They are helping farmers greatly. This would not be possible without the support of the people. India is working to meet the growing energy demand. India is also reducing our energy import dependence. At the same time, we are also diversifying our import sources.

Friends,

How are we doing this? Through capacity building. In 2019-20, we were 4th in the world in refining  capacity. About 65.2 million tonnes of petroleum products have been exported. This number is expected to rise even further. Our companies have ventured overseas in acquisition of quality oil and gas assets. Today, Indian Oil and Gas companies are present in 27 countries with investments worth approximately Rupees two lakh seventy thousand crore.

Friends,

We are developing a gas pipeline network to achieve ‘One Nation One Gas Grid’. We have planned to spend seven and a half lakh crores in creating oil and gas infrastructure over five years. A strong emphasis has been laid on the expansion of city gas distribution networks by covering 407 districts.

Friends,

Our consumer focussed schemes like PAHAL and PM Ujjwala Yojana are helping every Indian household access this gas. 95% of Tamil Nadu’s LPG customers have joined the PAHAL Scheme.  Over 90% of the active customers get direct subsidy transfer. Under the Ujjwala Yojana, over 32 lakh BPL households in Tamil Nadu have been given new connections. Over 31.6 lakh households benefited from free refills under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.

Friends,

Indian Oil’s 143 Km long natural gas pipeline from Ramanathapuram to Tuticorin being launched today will monetise  the gas from ONGC gas fields. This is a part of a larger natural gas pipeline project being developed at a cost of Rs. 4,500 crore.

It will benefit:Ennore, Thiruvallur, Bengaluru, Puducherry, Nagapattinam, Madurai, Tuticorin. These gas pipeline projects would also enable the development of City Gas projects which are being developed at 10 districts in Tamil Nadu  at an investment of Rs.5,000 Crore.

These projects will make available:Clean cooking fuel to households, PNG, Alternate transport fuel as CNG to vehicles and local industries.

The gas from ONGC field will now be delivered to Southern  Petrochemical Industries Corp. Limited Tuticorin.This pipeline is going to supply of natural gas as feedstock  at a cheaper cost to SPIC for manufacturing fertiliser.

Feedstock will now be continuously available with no storage requirements. This is expected to result in saving in the range of Rs.70  to Rs.95 Crores in cost of production annually. This will also bring down the final cost of production of fertiliser. We are eager to increase gas share in our energy basket from 6.3 percent currently to 15 per cent.

Friends!

Development projects bring with it several benefits. The CPCL’s new refinery at Nagapattinam anticipates about 80% indigenous  sourcing of materials and services. The refinery is going to boost development of transport facilities, downstream  petrochemical industries, ancillary  and small scale industriesin the region. This new refinery will produce MS and Diesel meeting BS-VI specifications and Polypropylene  as a value-added product. 

Friends!

Today, India is increasing the share of energy from renewable sources. By 2030, 40% of all energy will be generated from green energy sources. CPCL’s  new Gasoline desulphurisation  Unit at its refinery in Manali inaugurated today is another effort for a greener future. The refinery will now produce low sulphur  environment friendly fuel of BS VI specification.

Friends!

Since 2014 we have brought in various reforms across the Oil and Gas sector covering exploration and production, natural gas, marketing and distribution. We are working on attracting domestic and international investment through investor friendly measures. We are trying to eliminate the cascading  effect of different taxes on natural gas across different states. Uniformity of tax will lead to reduction of cost of natural gas and increase in its usage across industries. We are committed to bringing natural gas under the GST regime.

I want to tell the world- come, Invest in India’s energy!

Friends,

In the past six years, over Rs. 50,000 Crore worth oil & gas projects have been approved for implementation in Tamil Nadu. In the same period, over Rs 9100 crores worth projects sanctioned before 2014 were completed. In addition, over Rs 4,300 crore worth projects are in the pipeline. All the projects in Tamil Nadu are a result of joint efforts of our consistent  policies and initiatives for sustainable growth of India.

My congratulations to all stakeholders for taking steps towards developing energy infrastructure in Tamil Nadu. I have no doubt  we will all continue to succeed in our endeavours 

Thank you!

Vanakkam

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Source: PIB