The Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, H. S. Puri, is to launch the 12th round of bidding for city gas distribution (CGD) networks in the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) today.

In June 2023, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) said it was initiating consultations to establish a natural gas pipeline in eight geographical areas (GAs) across these two regions, as part of the 12th CGD bidding round.

The GAs are in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The regulator said the government has accorded priority to the shift to a gas-based economy, with natural gas seen as the next-generation cheaper and less polluting fossil fuel. With the Indian economy expected to grow, creation of robust infrastructure would play a significant role in achieving this vision.

Also read: Most city gas distribution projects running behind schedule: FICCI report 

Under the CGD network, 302 GAs covering 88 per cent of the country’s geographical area and 98 per cent of its population, have already been authorised.

In the last bidding round, the 11th and 11A round, 67 GAs were authorised for development of the CGD network.

Besides, the PNGRB has also authorised around 33,750 km of natural gas trunk pipelines, of which around 23,475 km of pipeline are currently operational. Around 92 per cent of gas pipelines form part of the national gas grid, which is expected to go up with grid expansion.

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