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With the Centre launching the National PNG drive to promote the adoption of piped natural gas, city gas distribution companies such as Torrent Gas and AG&P Pratham are ramping up infrastructure for PNG supply in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), along with City Gas Distribution (CGD) companies, has launched a campaign, for a period from January 26 to March 31, aimed at promoting the adoption of PNG among households and to expand consumer base across a broader segment of the population.
Till now, about 300 geographical areas (GAs) are authorised in the country, covering 98 per cent of the population and 88 per cent of its area for the development of the CGD network. The target up to 2032 includes installation of 12.5 crore domestic PNG connections and the establishment of 17,751 CNG stations, among others. As of November 30, 2023, 1.2 crore domestic PNG connections and 6,159 CNG stations have been established.
In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, there are 21 GAs awarded by PNGRB with a cumulative target of more than 2.2 crore PNG connections. During the National PNG drive, CGD companies target 59 lakh new PNG registrations and installation of 24 lakh new PNG connections in these GAs.
Torrent Gas has been authorised to provide CNG and PNG in Chennai, Thiruvallur and Nagapattinam districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district in Puducherry.
The company said it has made significant progress in laying the infrastructure for the supply of natural gas to Chennai and has laid 95 km of steel pipeline and 69 km of PE (polyethylene). The work of allotting PNG connections is currently in progress in New Manali Town, Madhavaram, Kallikuppam and Nollambur areas of Chennai.
In FY25, new areas of Mogappair, Natesan Nagar, Ayyanapakkam, Puzhal, Padi, Jai Nagar, Choolaimedu, and Perambur will also be covered.
Also read: Tamil Nadu tops in enrollment ratio for higher education among States
Torrent Gas also operates 67 CNG stations within Chennai and Thiruvallur to supply CNG as an alternative fuel for the transportation sector.
AG&P Pratham has secured 12 CGD licences to exclusively provide natural gas for everyday use in 37 districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Rajasthan.
Exclusive rights
The exclusive rights cover the supply of piped natural gas (PNG) to households, industrial, commercial, non-commercial and compressed natural gas (CNG) for use in vehicles. The CGD networks will cover 278,000 square kilometres, 17,000 inch-km of pipeline, and over 1,500 new CNG stations.
AG&P Pratham has set a target of about 10,000 PNG connections in Tamil Nadu by the end of March.
It has also launched exclusive schemes and benefits such as waiver of registration and security deposit fees, free gas for one month, and free rental charges, among others.
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