Govt Plans to Launch 1,000 LNG Stations in Next Three Years, Eyes Cleaner Fuel


Govt Plans to Launch 1,000 LNG Stations in Next Three Years, Eyes Cleaner Fuel

In a bid to achieve the cleaner fuel, Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), the central government along with The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has identified 1,000 locations across India to set up LNG outlets. The centre aims to set up 1,000 outlets in the next three years. Furthermore, the central government also eyes to achieve a target of 15 per cent in India’s overall energy mix by 2030.

The development comes at a time when the country recorded a WPI inflation of 12.54 per cent, primarily due to rise in the prices of crude petroleum and natural gas. According to SIAM, automakers like Eicher and Tata Motors have shown interest in manufacturing LNG vehicles.

The transport sector of India consumes around 40 per cent of the total diesel sold in the country. This acts as a double whammy with on one hand, increasing the cost of the fuel for common man and on the other hand, harming the environment in a big way.

Easy availability of LNG will reduce the demand-side pressure on Petrol and Diesel easing the prices. Also, LNG does not emit any sulphur dioxide and reduces the nitrogenous emissions by 85 per cent. It can prove to be a boon for the environment. It can also help India to meet its commitments under the recently concluded COP26 conference in Glasgow.

India had launched its plan to set up 1,000 LNG stations across the country attracting an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore in November 2020.  On the same day, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched a plan to set up 50 LNG retail outlets. The outlets were to be opened by industry majors including Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation. In July 2021, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated India’s first commercial LNG filling station in Nagpur, Maharashtra.