Piped natural gas (PNG) is set to reach millions of additional households across India as the government steps up efforts to expand the domestic gas network. On October 1, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched National PNG Drive 3.0, a nationwide initiative aimed at increasing PNG adoption as an alternative to LPG.
Under the campaign, the government plans to provide PNG connections to 5 million new households and revive around 4 million connections that are currently inactive. The initiative will continue until March 31, 2027, with a focus on increasing PNG consumption and making better use of the gas pipeline infrastructure already available across the country.
Key Targets Under PNG Drive 3.0
PNG Drive 3.0 has been designed to address both households that do not yet have a PNG connection and consumers whose existing connections are no longer active.
The campaign includes a target of 50 lakh new domestic PNG connections and the reactivation of 40 lakh inactive connections. It also aims to secure 50 lakh new registrations while utilizing the network’s capacity to support an additional 1.30 crore connections nationwide.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), city gas distribution companies, government-owned oil companies and other associated organizations will work together to implement the campaign.
According to Hardeep Singh Puri, India has already developed 6,87,966 inch kilometres of gas pipeline infrastructure. The existing network, along with planned expansion, has the potential to accommodate around 13 million additional PNG connections.
The government is also placing greater emphasis on expanding PNG access in semi-urban and rural parts of the country.
Why the Government Is Promoting PNG
The initiative is part of the government’s broader effort to increase the contribution of natural gas to India’s overall energy mix. At present, natural gas accounts for around 6% of the country’s primary energy consumption.
Through PNG Drive 3.0, the government is encouraging households to consider piped natural gas as an alternative to LPG while also seeking to improve the utilization of the existing gas distribution infrastructure.
What PNG Drive 2.0 Achieved
PNG Drive 3.0 follows the earlier PNG Drive 2.0 campaign, which resulted in 1.21 million new PNG connections. During that campaign, 1.33 million connections were activated for billing, while around 1.53 million registrations were received for new connections.
The previous drive also recorded a 43% rise in the number of daily new domestic PNG connections. The number of consumers who started billing increased by 166% during the campaign.
Greater Focus on Villages and Small Towns
The latest campaign aims to build on the progress achieved through PNG Drive 2.0, with a stronger focus on expanding access beyond major urban centres.
Semi-urban and rural areas will be an important part of PNG Drive 3.0 as the government works to bring more households into the country’s expanding gas distribution network. The campaign will focus not only on adding new consumers but also on bringing inactive connections back into use.
Disclaimer:
This article is based on information released by government authorities and other publicly available sources. Details mentioned in the report are subject to official updates and changes from the concerned authorities.