India Launches National PNG Drive 3.0 to Boost Natural Gas in Energy Mix

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched National PNG Drive 3.0 to boost natural gas in India's energy mix. The drive aims to encourage a shift from LPG to PNG, activate dormant connections, and make better use of existing infrastructure.

The government targets 50 lakh new domestic piped natural gas connections, 40 lakh conversions to active users, and another 50 lakh domestic piped natural gas registrations under the drive. This is in addition to the progress made under PNG Drive 2.0, which ensured 12.10 lakh connections, 13.37 lakh billed connections, and 15.31 lakh DPNG registrations.

The Minister said that the focus will be on expanding PNG in semi-urban and rural areas and connecting new consumers. With 6,87,966 inch-km of pipeline already laid, there is potential for another 1.30 crore connections. The drive is being organised from October 1 to March 31, 2027.

As part of the initiative, PNGRB has authorised around 34,233 km of NGPL network, which includes common carrier, spur line, tie-in connectivity, and dedicated pipeline across the country. The Union government has taken various measures to implement 'One Nation, One Gas Grid', including approving key trunk pipelines, providing viability gap funding in low-demand areas, introducing a unified tariff, accelerating expansion of the CGD network, and setting up Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals.