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The terminal will operate initially at about 2.5 million tonnes a year, half of its installed capacity, Tripathi said.
With gas demand expected to grow at 14 percent in the next five years, Asia's third-largest economy is scouting for long-term LNG contracts, and aims to increase its LNG handling capacity to 50 million tonnes a year by 2017 from 13.5 million tonnes now.
Tripathi said GAIL will soon conclude a two-to-three-year deal to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG).
"The volume would be almost a million tonne (per year)."
He also said the state-run utility hopes to finalise $450 million in foreign loans in a month's time.