India: Tata Steel emerges leading L1 bidder in MNJPL project

Indian steel behemoth Tata Steel emerged as the leading bidder among the domestic major pipe manufacturers for supplying about 28,000 tonnes (t) of X-70 API-grade pipes, SteelMint understands from sources. The order is GAIL's Mumbai-Nagpur-Jharsuguda Natural Gas Pipeline (MNJPL) project.

In the total 28,000 t, about 17,000 t will be of 8.2 mm thickness and the remaining 11,000 t of 9.7 mm thickness.

Several companies took active part in the tender floated by GAIL. Recently, the result of this reverse auction (RA) was announced with Tata Steel emerging as the leading L1 supplier.

Jindal SAW, key manufacturer of carbon, alloy and seamless pipes and tubes bagged the order to supply 17,000 t of X-70 API-grade pipes of 8.2 mm thickness.

Ratnamani Metals and Tubes, leading stainless steel pipe manufacturer is also amongst the L1 bidders which will supply around 13,000 t of X-70 API-grade line pipes of 8.2 mm thickness.

Maharashtra Seamless Ltd, India's largest manufacturer of ERW and seamless pipes and tubes, secured the supply order of 4,500 t of X-70 API-grade pipes (9.7 mm thickness).

Surya Roshni, with its manufacturing facility at Bhuj for exports and manufacturing of ERW, spiral and API pipes, bagged the order to supply 3,500 t of X-70 API-grade pipes of 9.7 mm thickness.

Meanwhile, Welspun Corp, the world's second largest manufacturer of large diameter pipes, bagged the order to supply 1,500 t of X-70 API-grade line pipes of 9.7 mm and 11.9 mm thickness.

GAIL update

GAIL is laying a 1,405-km pipeline from Mumbai to Jharsuguda (Odisha) via Nagpur and Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The section up to Nagpur is to be commissioned by May 2023 and the remaining length will come in the next two years. Currently, the total natural gas pipeline network in India is about 18,700 km, of which 12,500 km is operated by GAIL.

GAIL will complete a 700-km pipeline from Mumbai to Nagpur, enabling the flow of gas to central India by May 2023 and is on track to meeting the target of mid-2022 for completing major portions of the ambitious Urja Ganga project, bringing eastern India on the energy map.

In addition to this, GAIL plans to lay a pipeline to Srinagar to take the environmentally friendly natural gas to the Kashmir Valley.

It may be recalled that State-owned GAIL India Ltd, which sells two-third of all-natural gases sold in the country, doubled down on efforts to expand infrastructure to helm the government vision of a gas-based economy.