Govt aiming for composite energy retailing, says Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

CNG gross sales have declined not too long ago as transportation and passenger mobility segments have been severely hit by the second wave of Covid-19 and states have imposed lockdowns to curb the unfold of infections.

Union minister of petroleum and pure fuel Dharmendra Pradhan stated on Tuesday that the federal government goals to maneuver in the direction of the idea of power retailer the place all completely different transport fuels — hydrogen, diesel, petrol, compressed pure fuel (CNG), liquefied pure fuel (LNG) and EV batteries swapping facility — shall be out there at a single level.

Pradhan was talking at a web-based occasion the place he inaugurated 201 new CNG shops owned by joint ventures and subsidiaries of GAIL. The minister additionally inaugurated two cellular refueling models (MRUs) for refueling CNG automobiles in Raigad, Maharashtra and Delhi. The MRUs belong to Mahanagar Gas and Indraprastha Gas, respectively.

Asserting that the way forward for gas retail is cellular, Pradhan stated that “we’re bringing in innovation in power retailing and making it cellular and delivering on the doorsteps”. MRUs can retailer as much as 1,500 kg CNG and might fill 150 to 200 automobiles per day and can assist provide CNG in areas not but linked via pipelines and at locations the place there may be scarcity of land to arrange standard CNG stations.

Pradhan stated that state-run IOCL is quickly going to launch hydrogen meting out station at its refinery in Vadodara. The federal government additionally goals to have 10,000 CNG shops within the subsequent 5 years because the nation plans to extend the share of fuel in its power basket to fifteen% by 2030 from the present degree of 6%. As on October, 2020, there have been 2,434 CNG stations throughout the nation.

CNG gross sales have declined not too long ago as transportation and passenger mobility segments have been severely hit by the second wave of Covid-19 and states have imposed lockdowns to curb the unfold of infections.

“CNG volumes are anticipated to start out recovering from the lows of Might 2021 as a number of states have begun easing restrictions amid a decline in infections,” Sabyasachi Majumdar, vp at Icra stated on Tuesday.