The wait for the east coast to have a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal might get longer, with Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC), the two state-run companies that had proposed to jointly develop a terminal in Mangalore, putting the plan on hold.

Senior executives in both companies say how far the two partners could sell the fuel in the domestic market is under doubt. Given that the Dabhol and Kochi terminals will be commissioned next year, Mangalore will be well-connected by pipelines, said a senior BPCL executive, who requested anonymity.