The Indian gas transmission company GAIL has started to build the West Bengal segment of the inter-state Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra (JHBDPL or Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga) gas transmission pipeline, which will extend the coverage to the country's north eastern states (up to Guwahati in Assam) by another 750 km.
The JHBDPL project was launched in October 2016 and will span across 2,655 km through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. The gas pipeline will deliver 7.4 mcm/d (2.7 bcm/year) in a first phase and will be later raised to 16 mcm/d (5.8 bcm/year). It will mainly supply fertiliser plants and steel plants, and will also fulfil the energy requirements of 40 districts and 2,600 villages by 2020. So far, over Rs 5,176 crore (US$814m) have been awarded to cover the phases I and II of the INR 12,940 crore (US$2bn) project. The project is expected to be completed in December 2022.