Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dedicated 201 CNG stations through video conferencing today. These stations are spread across 52 geographical areas in 17 states.
In his address he said “Today marks another milestone on the road to becoming a gas-based economy and a step forward towards our pursuit for energy security combined with growth in a sustainable manner”. Speaking at the event, he reiterated Government’s vision to increase the share of natural gas in the primary energy basket to 15% by 2030.
“Development of National Gas Grid (NGG) and a wide spread CGD network for connecting the consumption centres with the supply points is vital for creation of a gas-based economy”, he said.
The 201 CNG stations have been set up by 15 City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities of GAIL group in 52 Geographical Areas (Gas) across 17 states while India’s first small-scale LNG unit has been set up by GAIL at its Vijaipur LPG plant.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that India is committed to continuously improve the policy and regulatory environment to support the development and make cleaner and sustainable fuel accessible and available to public at large. The addition of GAIL group’s 201 CNG stations across 52 geographical areas reflects progress towards this goal and underscores the company’s dedication to sustainability. These inaugurations symbolize our collective efforts to reduce carbon footprint and address climate change.
As per Minimum work plan submitted by CGD entities, the Minister noted that the country will have around 17,500 CNG stations and around 120 million PNG(Domestic) connections by 2030. It will help in development of ancillary industries in various segments (CGD meters, Compressors, Dispensers etc) for fulling the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat, he said.
With inauguration of the CNG stations and the Small-Scale LNG unit, the Minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to sustainable energy practices.