India May Regulate Private Pipelines, Curb Russian Fuel Trade

28 Jul 2025 CW Team

Currently, such infrastructure is classified as “dedicated” pipelines, used exclusively for internal company operations. While the term “captive” is frequently used by oil firms, it is not legally recognised in the Act. Under the existing framework, PNGRB has the authority to reclassify dedicated pipelines as “common carriers” or “contract carriers” based on their use.

Common carriers must permit third-party access, a provision that state-owned oil companies have often resisted due to concerns that it could dilute their infrastructure dominance if private sector players are granted access.

In December 2022, PNGRB wrote to public-sector oil firms — Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum — urging regulation of their dedicated pipelines to ensure competitive fairness and safeguard consumer interests. “The intent of bringing such pipelines under the ambit of PNGRB is to protect the interest of consumers by fostering fair trade and competition… and monitoring of compliance with technical and safety standards,” the Board noted.

EU Sanctions Set to Impact Indian Oil Exporters

In a separate development, recent European Union sanctions on Russian petroleum products are likely to disrupt Indian crude export routes. The sanctions, part of the EU’s 18th package against Russia, prohibit imports of fuel refined from Russian crude — even if processed in a third country.

This poses a challenge for major Indian private refiners such as Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy. According to Reuters, Reliance exported approximately 2.83 million barrels of diesel and 1.5 million barrels of jet fuel per month to Europe in 2025. These figures represent around 30 per cent and 60 per cent of its total exports of the respective fuels.

The new EU rules will be phased in over six months. Nayara Energy, partly owned by Russia’s Rosneft, is also affected by these sanctions. As a result, Indian refiners are expected to rely more heavily on intermediaries and traders to reroute their petroleum exports to non-European markets.

India’s oil and gas sector may soon undergo a major regulatory overhaul, as the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas prepares to bring privately operated or “captive” pipelines under the purview of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). This move will be facilitated through amendments to the PNGRB Act.Currently, such infrastructure is classified as “dedicated” pipelines, used exclusively for internal company operations. While the term “captive” is frequently used by oil firms, it is not legally recognised in the Act. Under the existing framework, PNGRB has the authority to reclassify dedicated pipelines as “common carriers” or “contract carriers” based on their use.Common carriers must permit third-party access, a provision that state-owned oil companies have often resisted due to concerns that it could dilute their infrastructure dominance if private sector players are granted access.In December 2022, PNGRB wrote to public-sector oil firms — Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum — urging regulation of their dedicated pipelines to ensure competitive fairness and safeguard consumer interests. “The intent of bringing such pipelines under the ambit of PNGRB is to protect the interest of consumers by fostering fair trade and competition… and monitoring of compliance with technical and safety standards,” the Board noted.EU Sanctions Set to Impact Indian Oil ExportersIn a separate development, recent European Union sanctions on Russian petroleum products are likely to disrupt Indian crude export routes. The sanctions, part of the EU’s 18th package against Russia, prohibit imports of fuel refined from Russian crude — even if processed in a third country.This poses a challenge for major Indian private refiners such as Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy. According to Reuters, Reliance exported approximately 2.83 million barrels of diesel and 1.5 million barrels of jet fuel per month to Europe in 2025. These figures represent around 30 per cent and 60 per cent of its total exports of the respective fuels.The new EU rules will be phased in over six months. Nayara Energy, partly owned by Russia’s Rosneft, is also affected by these sanctions. As a result, Indian refiners are expected to rely more heavily on intermediaries and traders to reroute their petroleum exports to non-European markets.

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Infrastructure Transport

02 Jun 2026

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..