India Plans 27% Expansion Of LNG Import Capacity By 2030: Minister Puri

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Sep 3 (KNN) India is expanding its liquefied natural gas import capacity by 27 percent to 66.7 million metric tons per year by 2030 through the addition of two new terminals, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri announced on social media platform X.

The expansion forms part of India's broader strategy to increase natural gas's share in the national energy mix while reducing carbon emissions.

India currently operates eight LNG terminals with a combined capacity of 52.7 million tons annually, positioning the country as the world's fourth-largest gas importer.

The planned expansion will bring the total number of terminals to ten by 2030, supporting the government's objective to raise natural gas's contribution to the energy mix from the current 6 percent to 15 percent by 2030.

The minister outlined significant expansion in LNG dispensing infrastructure for vehicles, with plans to increase stations from the current 13 to 49 by December, ultimately targeting 1,000 LNG dispensing stations nationwide.

This infrastructure development supports India's transportation sector decarbonisation efforts and provides alternative fuel options for commercial and private vehicles.

The LNG capacity expansion aligns with India's 2070 net-zero emissions target and efforts to reduce its carbon footprint as one of the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters.

At the 9th brainstorming session in Goa addressing challenges in India's oil and gas sector, Minister Puri discussed various aspects of sector development with ministry officials and energy industry leaders.

Topics included seismic data acquisition efficiency, stratigraphic well drilling status, offshore drilling cost optimisation, and learning from global energy companies while enhancing domestic manufacturing capabilities.

The minister emphasised developing India as a manufacturing hub for exploration and production machinery and components, supporting the Make in India initiative within the rapidly expanding energy sector.

Discussions also covered leveraging Indian shipyards' potential for developing LNG carriers, LPG carriers, and crude oil tankers including Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs).

(KNN Bureau)

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