India Commissions 56 CNG Stations

Indian petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan on May 29 commissioned 56 compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in 11 states and union territories, the petroleum and natural gas ministry said.

These 56 stations are spread over Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, and belong to 11 different entities, both public and private, the ministry said.

Pradhan said that 72% of the country's population will soon be covered through the city gas distribution network, which covers over 53% of the geographical area. He said that customers will be able to fill up with all types of fuels – petrol, diesel, CNG, LNG and LPG – at each site.

Completion of work at these stations was affected due to the countrywide lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. However, after easing restrictions last month, the work gathered pace and was carried out ensuring all safety and social distancing norms. With the addition of these stations to India’s CNG network, the daily filling capacity in the country has gone up by over 50,000 vehicles, the ministry said.

India is aiming to increase the share of gas in the energy mix to 15% by 2030 from 6% today. Last year, Pradhan said that the country will have 10,000 CNG in the next five years from 2,000 at present.