By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has called upon the various stakeholders in the LNG sector to mount a campaign to make people/users aware about the benefits of this fuel. Addressing a webinar on “LNG as a Transport Fuel”on Friday, he said that LNG is a fuel of the future, and its cost benefit and other advantages over other fuels must be communicated in an aggressive and specific manner. He said that less cost of the LNG will attract the bulk and large consumers, if the message reaches them properly.
Pradhan said that there is abundant availability of the LNG commodity and the Government is providing all facilities for its growth. He said that the opportunity of promoting LNG as the preferred fuel should be harnessed at the earliest. The environmental dividend, economic dividend and Convenience aspect, associated with the usage of LNG, should be highlighted.
The minister said that the Government, in its focus on moving the country towards the gas-based economy, is making huge investments in the gas infrastructure- terminals, pipelines, Stations, and CGD network, and LNG is integral part of this focus. “We are focused on realising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of transforming India into gas-based economy and are extending every support required to aid this transition.”
The Minister exhorted the industry to come out of the subsidy-based model, and focus on LNG’s commercial viability, by going in for scale of operation. On the issue of bringing LNG within the ambit of GST, the Minister said that it is a genuine demand, and a consensus is likely to develop on this soon. He asked the industry to probe and identify sector specific requirements of LNG for expansion of LNG markets in India. This will create a win-win situation for fleet owners, vehicle manufacturers & stakeholders in the gas value chain and also ensure a better environment, he added.
The Webinar was also addressed by the Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Tarun Kapoor. He said that the scenario world over regarding use of LNG has undergone massive change, as the fuel being under high pressure and low temperature, can be transported over a long distance, thereby eliminating the need of laying pipelines. Officers from GAIL, Controller of Explosives, and senior functionaries of SIAM, automobile companies and other stakeholders also shared their views during the webinar.
