From homes to police stations, IGL expands PNG network amid power supply crisis – The

Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) is expanding PNG connections via Delhi-NCR, as it looks to rapidly grow its user base and reduce dependence on LPG, said Kamal Kishore Chattiwal, CEO, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL).The expansion comes amid disruptions in energy supplies due to conflict in the Middle East, which has reinforced the government’s move towards adopting Papua New Guinea more widely as an alternative to liquefied petroleum gas, given its more diversified sources and lower dependence on Gulf imports.

“We were serving 600-700 PNG connections daily, which has gone up to 2,100-2,200 daily now. The ultimate goal is to take them to 5,000 connections,” said Chattiwal, Managing Director, IGL.As part of the rollout, IGL is expanding gas pipelines to households while also targeting commercial establishments, especially fast food chains that were affected by LPG supply disruptions when domestic consumers were prioritized for limited cooking gas supplies.The company said it has already linked more than 100 outlets of two major fast food chains with PNG, with a similar number currently in the pipeline.

In total, about 400 ports of communication have been identified.IGL is also expanding the supply of PNG to all police stations in Delhi. Police canteens and cafeterias, which currently rely on LPG or mixed use, are expected to completely switch to piped gas to avoid the challenges of refilling cylinders.In another development, New Delhi’s central mall, Connaught Place, which was earlier kept off the Papua New Guinea grid due to permit hurdles, is now under the regime after rules were relaxed.

Officials said the pipeline has already reached the outer circle.Chattiwal said India has enough natural gas, which is supplied to homes, industries, hotels and restaurants through city gas networks. India produces about 92 million standard cubic meters of natural gas per day, while consumption through urban gas, including PNG and CNG, represents less than a third of this production.However, LPG still relies heavily on imports, with a large share sourced from Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.“We are targeting 4.85 lakh new PNG connections in the next 90 days across the geographies in which we operate,” he said.IGL’s gas infrastructure now extends to Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Rewari, Karnal, Kaithal, Fatehpur, Ajmer, Pali, Rajsamand, Hamirpur, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Banda and parts of Kanpur and Meerut, with a pipeline network of over 28,000 km.The company currently supplies PNG to more than three million households and operates more than 950 CNG stations serving more than 2.1 million vehicles.In Delhi, IGL is focusing on full PNG penetration in select areas, with the aim of making them LPG-free zones. Areas like New Moti Bagh, East Kidwai Nagar and West Kidwai Nagar have already been transformed.The government has also stepped in to speed up the transition, mandating last month that households with access to Papua New Guinea must switch away from LPG in such areas. Consumers with both options are required to deliver LPG connections within 90 days, otherwise supply of cylinders will be stopped.

Exceptions apply only when PNG communication is not technically possible, and is subject to official approval.India consumes about 31.3 million tons of LPG annually, and domestic production meets about 40% of the demand. The rest is imported, with nearly 90% of shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy route that was blocked during the conflict in the Middle East.