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India's largest LPG Cavern is set to be operational by April, said an official on the sidelines of India Energy Week 2025. Amit Garg, Director, of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) told mediapersons that the largest LPG Cavern is being constructed at HPCL's LPG import facility at Mangalore. He added that the LPG Cavern is designed to store 80,000 Metric Tons of LPG and it stands as a feat of engineering brilliance.
Gard said the rock cavern in granitic gneiss operates on the principle of hydraulic containment. This cavern at Mangalore reaches extraordinary depths, with its floor positioned 141 meters below mean sea level and its operating shaft extending further to 156 meters, he added. Garg further added that such depth ensures the hydrostatic pressure of water keeps the LPG securely contained. The cavern was constructed using the "drill and blast" method, though the journey to reach this point was not without its hurdles, he said. He further informed that there are four major components of the cavern. An access tunnel of 1.1 KM for removing the rock debris of all the tunnels branching out from it. Upper and Lower water curtain galleries, which is an intricate two-tier water curtain system with a combination of 13 KM of vertical and inclined boreholes to ensure the safe containment of LPG. It features main Storage galleries of 18 M wide and towering to 21 M height, equivalent to a seven-story building, for LPG storage. An operation shaft of 6.5 M dia. and 164.5 M deep, is designed to house submersible LPG pumps, fill lines, and instruments critical for the facility's operation. This underground storage will play a vital role in meeting the increasing demand for energy across India. Strategically located, the Mangalore LPG Import Facility (MLIF) benefits from its geographical positioning, enabling seamless dispatch through various modes of transportation. The Cavern will receive LPG from imports through New Mangalore Port and will dispatch LPG to Mangalore LPG bottling Plant, road and rail tankers at MLIF and cross-country pipelines running upto Mysore, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. This facility will thus cater to LPG demand in Southern and Central India, ensuring a stable supply of LPG across the regions, according to Garg. The Mangalore LPG cavern project not only stands as a landmark achievement for HPCL but also as a testament to India's growing capabilities in engineering and energy infrastructure, he said. (ANI)
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