Indian Oil Corp will invest ₹2,449 crore, or $255.6 million, to build and operate the Kochi-Thoothukudi gas pipeline, a 424.65-kilometre natural gas infrastructure project connecting Kerala with southern Tamil Nadu, the company said on Monday.
The pipeline will run from Kochi through Kanyakumari to Thoothukudi, creating a cross-state gas corridor along the southern peninsula. Indian Oil said the project will have an overall capacity of 6.84 million standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD).
Of that capacity, 1.71 MMSCMD will be reserved as common carrier capacity, allowing the infrastructure to support gas transportation beyond the pipeline operator’s own requirements, according to the company. The announcement did not provide a construction schedule, commissioning date or details of the contractors that will execute the project.
The investment comes as India seeks to expand its natural gas infrastructure, improve connectivity and increase the share of gas in its energy mix. The company’s announcement described natural gas as part of the country’s effort to develop cleaner fuel alternatives.
The project will connect three significant locations in the southern region: Kochi in Kerala, Kanyakumari at the southern tip of the mainland, and Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. By linking these points through a single pipeline, the proposed system is intended to strengthen the physical network through which natural gas can be transported across the region.
The common carrier provision is a significant feature of the project’s stated capacity. It indicates that a portion of the pipeline’s transport capability is planned for shared use, although the supplied announcement does not specify the entities that may access it, the tariff structure or the mechanism through which capacity will be allocated.
Indian Oil’s investment places the pipeline within the broader expansion of gas infrastructure described by the company. The supplied report does not state whether the project has received all required approvals, when construction will begin, or how the pipeline will be integrated with existing gas supply and distribution systems in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The company is expected to build and operate the 424.65-kilometre line. Further details on the project timeline, implementation arrangements and operational milestones were not included in the announcement reported by Reuters and published by Business Standard.
