India's target to raise natural gas; invites bids to set up network

New Delhi: India's focus on exploring from solar energy to power projects, hybrid models to NH projects is now envisaging beyond this, Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi is targeting to achieve the natural gas share in India's energy mix to 15 percent by 2030. 

Currently, India produces 1,133,364.30 million cubic feet (MMcf) of natural gas per year (as of 2015) and ranks 29th in the world. 

On Friday, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board in public notice invites electronic bids from interested parties for the development of City Gas Distribution Network for 65 Geographical Areas, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) hereby invites electronic bids under 11A CGD Bidding Round for the following five Geographical Areas (GAs) in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Geographical Areas are:  
1. Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Balrampur, Siddharth Nagar & Maharajganj districts
2. Banka (Bihar), Dumka, Godda, Jamtara, Pakur & Sahibganj districts
3. Birbhum, Murshidabad, Maldah & Dakshin Dinajpur districts
4. Koriya, Surajpur, Balrampur, and Surguja districts 
5. Kondagaon, Bastar, Sukma, Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada districts

The details of Geographical Areas and bids are available at Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP) website and PNGRB’s website.

Bids for these GAs have been invited by PNGRB on 07.01.2022 and the last date of bid submission is 06.04.2022. The above-mentioned five GAs bid-out under 11A CGD Bidding Round along with the previous bid-out 61 GAs under 11th CGD Bidding Round would cover 28.47% of the country’s population and 34.66 % of its area. Upon finalization of bids under these rounds, approximately 88% of the country’s area would be authorized for the development of the CGD network to provide access of natural gas to approximately 98% of the country’s population.