GAIL’s Net Zero Challenge: How Will India’s Gas Giant Decarbonize 16,000 km of Pipelines by 2035?

GAIL (India) Limited is India’s premier natural gas company, established in August 1984 as a Central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. The company was initially tasked with constructing, operating, and maintaining the Hazira – Vijaypur – Jagdishpur (HVJ) pipeline Project, which became one of the world's largest cross-country natural gas pipelines, laying the foundation for India's natural gas market. Recognizing its "Excellent" track record and potential, the Government of India granted GAIL the Navratna status in 1997, giving it greater autonomy.

 

The Backbone of India's Gas Network

GAIL dominates the natural gas transmission market, commanding approximately 65% of the market share.

• Pipeline Network: GAIL owns and operates an extensive pipeline network of approximately 16,421 km, spanning the entire country.

• Market Share: Natural Gas trading is GAIL's core business, holding a significant ~47% share of the domestic gas market. GAIL supplies roughly two-thirds of the gas consumed by the fertilizer sector and around 45% of the gas used by gas-based power plants.

 

Diversified Portfolio: From Petrochemicals to Shipping

GAIL's robust operations extend well beyond gas transmission, covering the entire hydrocarbon value chain:

 

• LPG & LHC: GAIL has five Gas Processing Units with a total LPG & LHC production capacity of 1,425 KTA, holding a 10% share of LPG production in India. It operates a 2,040 km LPG pipeline network.

• Petrochemicals: GAIL is a pioneer in gas-based petrochemicals, with a total polymer capacity of 810 KTA. The GAIL Group holds a combined market share of around 15% in India's petrochemical sales. The company is expanding into Polypropylene (PP) under the brand ‘G-Pol’ and Pure Terephthalic Acid (PTA) branded as ‘G-Tex’.

   

• LNG & CGD: GAIL manages a large LNG portfolio of around 16.55 MMTPA from global sources. It is a pioneer in City Gas Distribution (CGD), with group companies authorized in 72 Geographical Areas (GAs), serving over 9.71 million PNG customers and operating ~3,100+ CNG stations.

 

The Green Hydrogen and Net Zero Commitment

GAIL is making significant strides in the renewable and alternate energy space:

• Renewable Energy (RE): GAIL has an installed RE capacity of 145 MW.

   

• Green Hydrogen: Aligned with the National Green Hydrogen Mission, GAIL commissioned its first Green Hydrogen Plant at Vijaipur, Madhya Pradesh, with a 10 MW PEM electrolyser producing 4.3 TPD of high-purity hydrogen.

   

• Net Zero Target: GAIL has set an ambitious Net Zero target, aiming for 100% decarbonization for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, and a 35% reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2040