India Aims for 15 Percent Natural Gas Share by 2030

Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli, revealed the government's ambitious plans in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

December 15, 2023. By Abha Rustagi

In a push towards a greener energy future, the Indian government is actively working to increase the share of natural gas in the country's energy mix from the current 6.7 percent to a targeted 15 percent by 2030. Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli, revealed the government's ambitious plans in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

To achieve this goal, various initiatives have been undertaken, including the expansion of the National Gas Grid Pipeline, growth of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) network, establishment of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminals, and the allocation of domestic gas to Compressed Natural Gas (Transport) / Piped Natural Gas (Domestic) in the no-cut category.

The Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative has been introduced to promote Bio-CNG, contributing to the sustainable and eco-friendly use of natural gas. Furthermore, the government has granted marketing and pricing freedom, with a ceiling price, to gas produced from high-pressure/high-temperature areas, deep water & ultra-deep water, and coal seams.

To ensure a seamless and efficient distribution network, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has authorized a vast natural gas pipeline network of approximately 33,622 km across the country. Of this, 24,623 km, including spur lines, tie-in connectivity, Sub-Transmission Pipelines (STPL), and dedicated pipelines, are already operational, while a total of 10,860 km of pipelines are under various stages of construction.

PNGRB implemented the Unified Tariff with effect from April 1, 2023, for interconnected natural gas pipelines. The move aligns with the objective of 'One Nation, One Grid, and One Tariff.' Simplifying the implementation, the regulations now introduce an entity-level integrated natural gas pipeline tariff. To safeguard consumer interests in different regions, the number of unified tariff zones has been increased from two to three.

Tags:

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Rameswar Teli

Lok Sabha

liquified natural gas

LNG

City gas distribution network

CDG