The Centre's green panel has given environment clearance to Reliance Gas Pipeline Ltd (RGPL) for its Rs 1,428 crore project to build a 486-km long pipeline through Gujarat and Maharashtra for transportation of liquid ethane.

The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Environment Ministry in its recent meeting has recommended giving environment clearance to RGPL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), for the Dahej pipeline project, sources said. The EAC recommended the ministry to stipulate specific conditions while giving the final clearance, they added.

As per the proposal, a 486 km dedicated pipeline network named as 'Dahej Nagothane Ethane Pipeline (DNEPL)' will be built to transport liquid ethane to the tune of 1.25 million metric tonnes per annum (MMPA) made available from RIL's Dahej manufacturing division to Hazira manufacturing unit and to RIL's Nagothane manufacturing facility. The total cost of the project is pegged at Rs 1,428 crore.

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DNEPL will originate from Dahej in Gujarat and terminate at Nagothane in Maharashtra. About 256 km of the pipeline would pass through Gujarat and 230 km would pass through Maharashtra, sources said.

In Maharashtra, about 26 km will pass through Dahanu taluka which has been declared as an ecologically fragile area where the development activities are monitored by Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA), they said.

Gujarat Coastal Regulatory Zone and Maharashtra Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) have recommended granting CRZ clearance. RGPL has obtained stage-I forest clearance for diversion of over 25-hectare forest land, they added.