Shell Energy India Pvt Ltd, a unit of Shell Gas B.V. and part of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has secured environmental clearance to expand its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at Hazira Port, Gujarat. The project will increase the terminal’s capacity from the existing 6.28 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 26.2 MMTPA with an investment of ₹21,600 crore.
The expansion includes 25 MMTPA of regasification capacity and a 1.2 MMTPA truck loading terminal. The project will involve the construction of LNG storage tanks, the enhancement of regasification facilities, the development of new truck loading facilities, and the augmentation of LNG receiving capacity through a new jetty and breakwater. The jetty will be designed to handle conventional LNG carriers, and the plan also entails capital dredging of 2.8 million cubic meters to deepen the channel.
The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recommended the expansion proposal at its meeting held on September 2. Shell Energy India has also recently received forest clearance from the Gujarat government, paving the way for the project’s execution.
The Hazira LNG terminal, commissioned in 2005 with an initial capacity of 2.5 MMTPA, was expanded to 5 MMTPA in 2013 and further to 6.28 MMTPA. The latest clearance will allow the regasification capacity to rise to 19 MMTPA and the truck loading facility to expand to 1.2 MMTPA from the current 0.28 MMTPA.
The new truck loading infrastructure will enable Shell to supply LNG not only to industrial customers but also to India’s emerging LNG transport fuel network, supporting the transition from diesel to LNG in heavy-duty vehicles.
