ABB India Ltd and THINK Gas Pvt. Ltd. have formed a strategic partnership to drive digital innovation in India’s city gas distribution (CGD) sector. As part of this collaboration, THINK Gas has deployed ABB’s cloud-based ABB Ability™ SCADAvantage platform to automate and manage its gas distribution network, which supplies Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to over 500 fuel stations across the country.

The SCADAvantage system enables THINK Gas to centralise operations and gain real-time visibility of its network from its Chennai control room. By automating price management, billing, pressure and flow control, gas planning and reconciliation, the solution has reportedly led to up to 60 per cent reduction in operational costs, particularly in operator manpower.

THINK Gas operates across 19 Geographical Areas in ten Indian states—including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Its network includes over 500 CNG stations, approximately 550,000 domestic piped natural gas connections, and around 17,000 inch-km of steel pipeline servicing industrial and commercial customers.

Chiradeep Datta, Chief Operating Officer of THINK Gas, stated, “Our focus is on adopting global best practices in safety, infrastructure, and digitalisation to ensure reliable natural gas supply to our customers. Partnering with ABB has enabled us to optimise operations, reduce costs, and make better, data-driven decisions.”

G Balaji, Senior Vice President of the Energy Industries division at ABB India, added, “As India expands its energy infrastructure to meet rising demand, ABB’s solutions like SCADAvantage are crucial in achieving operational excellence. We are proud to support 80 per cent of the country’s CGD networks with our automation technology.”

India has committed to increasing the share of natural gas in its energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030. The growing CGD network plays a key role in this vision, providing piped cooking gas to households and CNG for vehicles, while serving industrial and commercial sectors.