Govt to raise share of natural gas in energy mix to 15% by 2030

The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Rameswar Teli, announced that the government had set a target to raise the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15% by 2030. Currently, in India, the share of natural gas in the primary energy mix has increased from 6.3% to 6.7% from 2020 to 2021. According to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Act 2006 and Regulation, PNGRB has approved authorisation to the entities for the development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in Geographical Areas (GAs). Establishing CNG stations and providing PNG connections is a crucial part of the CGD network. The authorised CGD entities have done the same in their GAs according to the Minimum Work Plan (MWP). PNGRB also authorises the entities for laying pipeline infrastructure for developing the CGD network. The investment for developing the CGD network and natural gas pipeline infrastructure will be carried by the authorised private and public entities, keeping in mind the techno commercial requirements. This year, the authorised entities have invested around Rs 14,556 crore. PNGRB has received bids for 61 GAs in the 11th round of bidding, which entails an investment of over Rs 80,000 crore. As part of the initiative to make natural gas available to more consumers, the government has approved a partial capital grant of Rs 5,176 crore for the Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline (JHBDPL) project and Rs 5,559 crore for the North-East Gas Grid project. Till now, the JHBDPL project has utilised Rs 4,549.204 crore, and North East Gas Grid Rs 1,030 crore. Image Source Also read: ATGL to pump in Rs 20,000 cr in city gas infra in next 8 years