26,500 households get piped gas connections in capital

THINK Gas, the agency which is implementing the city gas project in Thiruvananthapuram, provided gas connections to 26,500 households as well as 25 commercial establishment connections in the capital district so far, where it has laid pipeline to the length of 650 km as part of the project, according to the agency. Work is also progressing to set up storage facilities and distribution infrastructure in neighbouring Kollam, where a new LCNG (Liquid to Compressed Natural Gas) plant is to be set up in Chavara to meet natural gas demand.

The city gas network will be expanded in areas of Mangalapuram and Vilapil in Thiruvananthapuram and Panmana panchayat in the Kollam district, according to the agency. The agency will also install advanced smart meters across the piped natural gas network for accurate billing and real-time usage and prepaid billing instead of mechanical meters.

Plans are also afoot to set up new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations and additional Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections. An additional 6,000 PNG connections are planned in the Thiruvananthapuram district in 2026. Five CNG stations are planned in Thiruvananthapuram and 2 stations in Kollam. In Alappuzha, a total of 30,000 household connections and 27 commercial establishment connections have been provided so far, while a total length of 900 km of pipeline has been laid as part of the project.

In Alappuzha, the agency will expand its network to more areas of Alappuzha Town and Aryad Panchayat along with Mararikulam, where it will provide an additional 6,000 PNG connections in 2026, apart from introducing advanced smart meters instead of mechanical meters. Three CNG stations are also planned in Alappuzha this year, said the agency.