The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) plans to have 10,000 new retail outlets of compressed natural gas (CNG) in the coming five years in a bid to increase share of gas in India’s energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030.
About 56 new CNG stations have recently been inaugurated across 13 states and one union territory. Of which, Indian Oil-Adani Gas Private Limited owns 17 outlets while Adani Gas Limited owns 10 outlets. Further, six CNG outlets will be operated by Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum each.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board is formulating the 11th round of bidding for city gas distribution (CGD) infrastructure. At present, India has 2,307 CNG stations. Of which 75 per cent are in Delhi, Gujrat and Maharashtra. The government has proposed 44 new geographical areas (GAs) for upcoming CGD auctions, involving eight GAs in Tamil Nadu, seven in Maharashtra and six in Madhya Pradesh.