AG&P Pratham will deliver domestic piped natural gas (PNG) to some colonies in Kadapa town by August, and a similar project in progress in Anantapur will be completed by March 2023, said Gumalapalli A. Venkatesh, the company’s regional head for Anantapur and Kadapa districts.
At a press conference on Friday, Mr. Venkatesh and Sekhar Vajjala, the Chittoor Cluster Marketing Head, said that the company has a licence for operations in undivided Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa, and Anantapur districts, and has an ambitious plan to provide domestic connections to 10 lakh houses in the next five years along with commercial users and industries. The company will invest ₹400 crore and build bulk compressed natural gas (CNG) storage units in Kadapa and Anantapur, which are in an advanced stage of construction.
In Anantapur, the bulk storage unit will be ready by March next year, but prior to that gas would be transported from the Kadapa storage unit, which will be ready by August this year, and domestic supply would be launched in Pilligundla, Syndicate Nagar, and Sunitha Nagar in the city.
“The company will provide jobs to 1,000 persons and will also create indirect employment through its operations in the next five years,” he added.
The domestic gas connections will work out to be cheaper than LPG cylinders by 20% to 30%, with an assured round-the-clock supply.
“Our current focus is also on building a network of CNG stations in south Andhra Pradesh to ensure that all vehicles travel without shortage of supply, and there is a proposal to open 134 units in five years,” Mr. Sekhar said.
A 187-km gas pipeline from Sira in Karnataka to Anantapur via Hindupur, and Ammuvaripalli (near KIA Motors) is also under construction, which will ensure seamless availability in the next five years, they said.
Anantapur district currently has four CNG stations and new ones are coming up at Tadipatri, Kadiri, and other locations in Kadapa and Chittoor districts.
