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New Delhi is seeking one million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas from Qatar to fire the 740 MW Phase-I and the nearly complete 1444 MW Phase-II of the project.
"We have sought conversion of the present supplies of 5 million tones per annum of LNG into 7.5 million tonnes. We have also indicated additional requirement for the Dabhol project," Mani Shankar Aiyar, Petroleum Minister said after meeting visiting Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud in New Delhi.
Petronet LNG Ltd, a company promoted by state-owned GAIL (India), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation, has contracted 7.5 million tones per annum of LNG from RasGas of Qatar.
It is presently importing 5 million tonnes at Dahej in Gujarat and is negotiating supply schedule of the remaining 2.5 milion tonnes.
Besides Qatar, India is also courting Australia for sourcing LNG for the Dabhol power project which has been lying idle for over three years now following a bitter payment row with its main customers, Maharashtra State Electricity Board.
"We propose to scale of LNG imports from Qatar to 20 million tonnes in phases by 2015," Aiyar said.
Also to figure in discussions were the Gulf-South Asia pipeline project that is to supply gas from Qatar to Pakistan and its possible extension to India.