Indian Oil Corporation has kicked off the race for an engineering, procurement and construction contract covering storage tanks at its planned Ennore LNG terminal in Tamil Nadu.The public sector player has issued a request for expressions of interest in the job on the east coast north of Chennai.Bidders are required to have successfully carried out design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of at least four full-containment LNG storage tanks of a minimum 120,000 cubic metres capacity. Tanks installation must have taken place at two different locations and within the past 15 years. Qualifying contenders must have had an annual turnover of at least $150 million over the past three years. Close to $800 million is likely to be spent on the Ennore LNG terminal, which Indian Oil is planning to commission by 2015 or 2016. Other packages to be tendered by the company are likely to include marine, regasification and other associated facilities, according to local reports. Indian Oil is exploring the possibility of procuring LNG supply for the terminal via a mix of short-term as well as long-term contracts, according to industry sources. Expression of interest documents are available until 19 October and responses must be in by 25 October.Contractors such as Japan’s IHI Corporation, South Korea’s Samsung C&T, France’s Sofregaz and Technip, Italy’s Saipem and Flour of the US have all pursued similar tenders in the past in India.Indian Oil has entered into agreements with some regional industries to supply vaporised gas from the terminal. It is hoping the state government of Tamil Nadu will set up a gas-fired power plant to boost demand at the regasification project.