New Delhi, Jan. 4 (PTI): In view of the lukewarm response to its tender to procure gas, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has started scouting for gas overseas to ensure continuous supplies for its gas-based power plants, especially the 1900-MW Kayamkulam plant in Kerala.

?The company is exploring the availability of gas abroad and the possibility of importing it in liquefied form and then to re-gassify and use it,? NTPC informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) today.

The state-run power company needs gas for its combined cycle power plants at Anta (Rajasthan), Auraiya (Uttar Pradesh) and Kayamkulam. NTPC has already mandated Reliance Industries for the 1300-MW each Kawas and Gandhar power plants in Gujarat. Reliance will supply 13 million standard cubic metre gas per day from its offshore finds in the K-G basin near the Andhra Pradesh coast. The gas supplies are expected to begin from early 2007. RIL will be supplying the gas at the rate of $2.97 per million BTU.

NTPC is looking to get 2 million tonnes of LNG at a price of less than $3 per million Btu for its proposed 1900 MW Kayamkulam plant in Kerala, sources said. So far NTPC has failed to get gas supplies at the rate offered by RIL. It had invited bids last year but a decision could not be taken due to lack of bidders. The Kayamkulam plant was earlier run on naphtha.

NTPC has envisaged a capital outlay of Rs 8,550 crore for 2005-06. The capital expenditure would be financed in debt-equity ratio of 70:30, NTPC informed the BSE.

NTPC is also in the process of negotiating a loan of up to $45 million (about Rs 198 crore) from the Swedish export credit agency to part finance Sipat II project. Meanwhile, NTPC has signed an MoU with the Central Electricity Authority under which the latter will provide design and consultancy services to the former for two run-of-the-river projects in Uttaranchal.