GUWAHATI, July 10 (PTI): The micro-tunnelling for GAIL-executed Barauni-Guwahati gas pipeline project has come to an end with the completion of a vital line under the confluence of three rivers in Chirang district of Assam, a press release said on Monday.
Tunnelling was concluded under the confluence of Kanamakra, Aie and Manas rivers of the Gas Pipeline, which is a part of Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project.
The break-through of the microtunnel boring machine was achieved by Ace Energy Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, a part of the Mumbai-based Ace Pipeline Group, on July 2, the release said.
Ace Energy has completed construction of a tunnel of diameter 1600 mm across 1200 m at a depth of 11-12 meters under the river bed. The river has been flowing up to its brim for the past three months owing to the flooding in its upper reaches in Bhutan, the release said.
The construction crew is expected to install the 24-inch carbon steel pipeline to transport natural gas in this tunnel in the next few weeks. On completion it will serve as a final link to complete a 1600-km network of gas pipelines from Barauni to Guwahati, and further from Guwahati to Numaligarh after crossing major rivers like Subansiri and Brahmaputra.
The Bihar portion of the gas pipeline was completed in April this year, connecting six districts of the eastern state to the national gas grid, it said.
The gas pipeline is a part of extension of Urja Ganga Project which will bring natural gas connectivity from Guwahati to Numaligarh and all towns and cities of the North East.
Ranchi-based MECON Limited spearheaded the engineering efforts for the project. It was appointed as the project management consultant to GAIL.
K B Singh, the executive director (eastern region), GAIL (India) Ltd, said, “The breakthrough of a tunnel boring machine is a culmination of months of back-breaking hard work, with the front line crew working 24×7 in rain and hail and the efforts of project managers, designers and countless other faces behind the scenes who ensured that the front-end crew will succeed.”
Ravneet Singh, director, Ace Energy, said, “This milestone is a remarkable achievement for all of us and we hope this is a forerunner for many more breakthroughs in India and also across the globe.”
As part of the Centre’s Hydrocarbon Vision 2030, the gas grid project will connect the eight north eastern states to the national gas grid through the Barauni-Guwahati Gas Pipeline as part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project.