India Plans 11th City Gas Licensing Round
After successfully conducting the 9th and the 10th city gas licensing rounds, India is expected to launch the 11th round soon, country’s petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on January 23 in New Delhi.
Pradhan also said that states may give suggestions in the identification of geographical areas for which the licence may be rolled out. He called upon the states to actively promote compressed natural gas usage in the transportation and mining sectors.
In the last couple of years, Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), the Indian downstream regulator, has conducted two CGD licensing rounds which have seen a very strong response from the industry. In 2018, PNGRB launched its 9th bidding round for the development of further city gas networks across India. This round included 80 geographical areas (GAs) awarded to 19 commercial entities. In addition, during the first quarter of 2019, PNGRB concluded the 10th bidding round and awarded an additional 50 GAs across the country.
In order to fight chronic air pollution, the Indian government is promoting the use of clean fuels like natural gas. It wants to raise the share of gas in the energy mix from 6-7% to 15% by 2030.