Two firms show interest for gas exploration (Kantipur Post)
KATHMANDU, JAN 13 -
The Department of Mines (DoM) said on Wednesday that responding to its call for gas exploration in Teku, two companies have shown their interest.A study suggests that there is about 300 million cubic meter of gas in the Teku region. Continental Trading Enterprises and KL Dugar Group are the two companies that have submitted their proposal for the gas exploration.
“We’re currently going through the proposals submitted by the two companies,” said Uttambol Shrestha, Chief of Lease Department under DoM.
According to Continental Trading Enterprises Chairman Suhrid Ghimire, the company is trying to acquire license. “But we are yet to conduct a detailed study,” said Ghimire. Continental is planning to distribute gas either though pipelines or through the conventional system of filling up cylinder and sending to the market.
“Since we’ve not received the license yet, the study is also pending for the time being,” said Ghimire. “We will begin a detailed study once we acquire the license.”
Bikash Dugar of the KL Dugar Group said gas exploration is not as easy as it was earlier presumed to be. “Our study shows there are lot practical hassles involved,” said Dugar. His company also had asked for the license much earlier. “But nothing has moved ahead. We are losing our interest,” said Dugar.
DoM began gas exploration studies in the Kathmandu valley from 1981 with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) assistance.
It was found out that about 316 million cubic meter of natural gas to have been stored underground in Teku region. An estimate suggests if this amount of gas is process and channelised, it can serve energy need of 20 thousand families for 30 years.
The earlier plan to distribute the gas through pipelines is already dead in the water. In 1999, the government decided to call private sectors for the exploration. “We’ve already invited companies to send their expression of interest five times,” said Shrestha. “We did receive applications but nothing happened.”
Source : Kantipur Post
