Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Mar 25: The colossal LPG carrier ‘Pyxis Pioneer’, transporting approximately 47,236 tonnes of LPG from Texas, USA, docked at New Mangaluru Port on March 22. Around 16,714 tonnes of LPG from the shipment are being unloaded at the port.
According to the central government, several more vessels are expected in the coming days, enabling New Mangaluru Port to handle a total of 72,700 tonnes of LPG, highlighting its growing strategic significance.
The arrival of these massive shipments is linked to a landmark energy project in Mangaluru: India’s largest underground LPG storage facility, the ‘Rock Cavern’, located near Katipalla in Baala.
Designed by Engineers India Limited and constructed by Megha Engineering, the cavern sits within the premises of the HPCL unit at Baala and can store 80,000 metric tonnes of LPG, making it India’s largest single underground LPG storage facility.
Built at a cost of Rs 890 crore, the cavern is not just a storage site but a strategic energy reserve. Officials say it will safeguard LPG supply during emergencies such as war-like situations, international supply disruptions, or sudden price spikes, ensuring uninterrupted access to cooking fuel.
India already operates similar underground storage at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru, and Padur (Udupi district), with a combined capacity of 5.33 million metric tonnes of crude oil, sufficient for roughly 9.5 days of national demand. Additional caverns are planned at Chandikhol (Odisha) and Padur, which would extend reserves to 22 days.
“The Mangaluru Rock Cavern is a first-of-its-kind facility in India designed exclusively for LPG,” said an Engineers India Limited spokesperson. “Unlike traditional warehouses that store grains, these caverns are engineered for high-pressure fuel storage with maximum safety.”
The cavern is carved into solid rock approximately 156 metres below sea level and uses hydraulic containment, a natural mechanism where underground water pressure prevents gas leakage. All safety and operational tests, including a continuous 100-hour wind pressure trial, were successfully completed by June 2025.
LPG stored here is supplied via pipelines to Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, providing a buffer against supply disruptions and price volatility in a country heavily reliant on imports.
The cavern receives imported LPG through New Mangaluru Port and distributes it to the Mangaluru LPG bottling plant as well as via road and rail tankers.
As reported by The Economic Times, cross-country pipelines ensure smooth delivery to southern cities, making the cavern a key node in India’s energy security.
The facility includes a 1.1 km-long main access tunnel, two primary storage caverns— Cavern S1 (220 m) and Cavern S2 (225 m)—and 486.2 m of connecting tunnels, together forming nearly half a kilometre of underground storage. At 156 metres below ground, it is equivalent to a 50-storey building underground.
A crucial operational feature is the 6.5-metre-diameter operation shaft, extending 164.5 metres, through which advanced pumps extract LPG. Surrounding the cavern, a ‘water curtain’ protection system with over 13 km of perforations maintains pressure, preventing leaks through rock fissures.
With the capacity to safely store 80,000 tonnes of LPG, the Mangaluru Rock Cavern has become a landmark in India’s energy infrastructure, combining scale, safety, and cutting-edge engineering.