The central government has intensified efforts to expand the National Gas Grid in order to improve energy accessibility, affordability and sustainability across the country, according to information shared by Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha today.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), the statutory authority responsible for authorising entities for laying and operating Natural Gas Pipelines, has so far approved approximately 34,233 km of Natural Gas Pipeline (NGPL) network spread across various regions. Of this, 25,429 km is already operational as of June 2025, while another 10,459 km is under construction at different stages. The authorised network includes common carrier pipelines, spur lines, dedicated pipelines and connectivity links.
The government has implemented several measures to accelerate the realisation of the ‘One Nation, One Gas Grid’ vision. This includes approval of major trunk pipeline projects, viability gap funding for low-demand regions, a unified tariff structure, expansion of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) network, establishment of LNG terminals, and marketing and pricing freedom for gas from challenging geological zones such as deep-water, ultra-deep-water and HP/HT fields. The SATAT initiative to promote Bio-CNG also forms a key part of this push.
To ensure timely execution, the Centre is working closely with state governments and implementing agencies to resolve bottlenecks and speed up pipeline construction across the country.
The expanded National Gas Grid promises significant benefits by increasing the supply of clean and affordable energy to households, industries and businesses. For households and CGD networks, it is expected to boost the use of CNG and PNG — contributing to cleaner urban mobility and domestic fuel consumption. In industrial clusters, assured natural gas availability at competitive rates is projected to reduce operational costs, attract investments, enhance manufacturing output and generate new employment opportunities.
The nationwide pipeline expansion also supports environmental objectives by reducing dependence on traditional fossil fuels and improving air quality through a wider shift towards natural gas.
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