PNGRB approves pivotal reforms in natural gas pipeline tariff regulations
In a release, the PNGRB stated that these sweeping reforms underscore PNGRB's commitment to developing a more transparent, consumer-oriented, and investment-friendly natural gas infrastructure in India.
The reforms were approved during a recent Board meeting following extensive consultations with stakeholders across the industry. Anchored in the vision of 'One Nation, One Grid, One Tariff,' this regulatory overhaul reflects PNGRB's strategy to simplify the market structure, promote cleaner fuels, and build an inclusive gas-based economy.
Among the key reforms, PNGRB has reduced the number of Unified Tariff Zones from three to two, simplifying the natural gas transportation system across the country. This initiative ensures a more equitable tariff structure and enhances access to natural gas, especially in underserved regions.In a consumer-centric move, the benefit of the Unified Zonal Tariff of Zone 1 has been extended nationwide to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) Domestic segments. This is poised to make natural gas more affordable for urban households and transport networks, thereby supporting broader clean energy adoption.To stabilise tariffs and ensure efficiency in supply, PNGRB has mandated pipeline operators to procure at least 75 per cent of their annual system-use gas through long-term contracts (minimum three-year tenure). This will lower procurement risks, reduce transaction costs, and ultimately result in more predictable and affordable tariffs for consumers and investors alike.
The PNGRB added in the release that it has introduced a dedicated Pipeline Development Reserve, utilising earnings from pipeline entities that exceed 75% utilisation benchmarks to fund future expansion.
PNGRB has noted that 50 per cent of these net-of-tax earnings will be reinvested into infrastructure development, while the remaining 50 per cent will be passed on to consumers through tariff adjustments, creating a performance-linked, self-sustaining model for growth.These reforms represent a strategic blend of regulatory innovation and stakeholder-centric governance, ensuring that both consumers and industry players benefit equitably. By realigning tariff structures, incentivising long-term planning, and reinvesting in infrastructure, PNGRB is laying a strong foundation for India's cleaner, greener, and more inclusive energy future.
PNGRB further added that it remains committed to enabling ease of doing business while keeping consumer affordability at the forefront, making natural gas the fuel of choice for India's evolving energy needs. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Five years of India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
In 2009, India and Australia signed a strategic partnership to strengthen political and security relations, but few could have predicted the meteoric rise of the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). A significant shift occurred in the June 2020 virtual summit between Prime Minister (PM), Narendra Modi and the then-Australian PM Scott Morrison, where the two agreed to elevate the strategic pPartnership to a CSP, building on a decade-old bilateral strategic engagement. With $ 50 billion in two-way trade, Australian universities opening campuses in India, and a million-strong Indian diaspora strengthening people-to-people ties, the tripling of direct flights between India and Australia since 2022, and a leader-level annual summit since 2023, bilateral ties have grown significantly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian deputy prime minister Richard Marles met in Delhi on Wednesday. ani (ANI) As the two countries chart an ambitious future—from defence cooperation to increased security ties—the question remains: How has the bilateral partnership evolved since the establishment of the CSP? To what extent has it deepened and matured, and what further steps can be taken to strengthen it? To mark the 5th anniversary of this significant partnership, Australian deputy PM Richard Marles arrived in Delhi to meet the Indian PM on June 4, 2025, on his first overseas visit since taking office this year—reflecting Canberra's importance to New Delhi and highlighting the growing strategic alignment between the two. Both countries clearly recognise the relevance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and hence, reaffirm the principles of a free, open, inclusive and rules-based region. This necessitates expanding areas of cooperation in areas like improving maritime security, strengthening diplomatic ties, and deepening defence and military cooperation—in sync with growing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. The seriousness of the partnership from both sides is amplified by the high-level bilateral exchanges that have been institutionalised, with India now holding annual leader-level summits beginning in 2023, followed by the second dialogue in 2024, along with the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue in 2021 and 2023—upgraded from the continuing 2+2 secretary-level dialogue in June 2020. Australia is perhaps the third country, in addition to Japan and Russia, with which India has institutionalised such regular high-level structured dialogues, indicating a strategic premium that New Delhi places on its partnership with Canberra. Notably, the quantity and quality of bilateral dialogues have increased: the Foreign Minister's Framework Dialogue, a bilateral stock-taking mechanism; the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Secretary-level consultations, a precursor 'inter-sessional' activity prior to the 2+2 ministerial dialogue; Defence Policy talks; and the Maritime Security Dialogue have respectively concluded their 14th, 4th, 9th, and 6th editions. This is undoubtedly an elevation from just discussing their fondness for cricket to promoting and expanding inter-bureaucratic linkages, offering mechanisms to exchange views and buttressing a common strategic framework for the Indo-Pacific region—an area that has drawn the attention of major global powers in recent years. Military and defence ties are also transforming, exhibiting historic first trends and increasing complexity in military exercises, interoperability, and entanglements. Military-related activities, including joint exercises, meetings among defence officials and service staff, port calls, and the military officials' participation in events and conferences, have seen a noticeable rise, increasing from 38 in 2018 to 53 by 2023 and counting. In 2023, Australia's inaugural hosting of the Malabar exercise—a quadrilateral naval exercise involving the US, Japan, Australia, and India—demonstrated the aggregation of anti-submarine activities, air defence and gunnery exercises, and the integration of communication operations along with replenishment practices. In its 2023 edition of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour—a regionally-tailored multilateral defence exercise—an Indian Navy maritime patrol aircraft, P-8I Neptune, and Australia's P-8A Poseidon aircraft engaged in a joint maritime interoperability training session. In the same year, India's INS VAGIR, made a port call to Perth—the farthest docking of an Indian submarine so far. Furthermore, the Indian Navy travelled to Australia's Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean region, which the Australian department of defence depicted as 'a groundbreaking visit.' Bilaterally, AUSINDEX—a biennial maritime exercise—concluded its 5th edition in 2023 on complex maritime operations involving aircraft and maritime patrolling jets. Also, AUSTRAHIND, a joint Indian and Australian army exercise, carried out sub-conventional operations curated to manage contingencies in arid conditions and a semi-urban landscape in its recent edition. In addition, India participated as an observer in TALISMAN SABRE, a multilateral exercise, in 2023 (for the second time), and in KAKADU, a multinational exercise, in 2022. In a way, bilateral military entanglements aid participation in multilateral exercises by enhancing operational familiarity between military hardware and embracing joint practices. India's inaugural participation in PITCH BLACK—a multinational air defence exercise—in 2018 recorded the first case of 'mid-air refuelling' between India's Su-30MKI and a RAAF aircraft (KC-30A), paving the way for a bilateral air-to-air refuelling agreement in November 2024. Such an arrangement will enhance the operational capacity of the Indian Navy's P-8I Neptune surveillance aircraft in the Indo-Pacific region. As a result, the rapid transformation in naval exchanges and defence entanglements was essentially facilitated through the signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement in June 2020, which mandated complex military engagement and logistical cooperation to enhance military cooperation between the countries. More specifically, in 2021, the Australian government dispatched its inaugural liaison officer to the India Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, maintained by the Indian Navy, to enable maritime situational awareness with the intent to secure sea lanes of communication. Defence science and industry collaboration has made initial strides, with the participation of Indian defence industry partners in the 2024 Indian Ocean Security and Defence Conference to boost defence industry and start-up collaboration. Previously, Thales Australia exported mine-sweeping systems to India, and a similar potential for defence trade remains between both countries. To begin with, military exercises could extend beyond individual service levels and be jointly pursued—similar to India's Tiger Triumph exercise with the United States. Furthermore, these exercises can be designed to emulate Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) scenarios and simulate military contingencies. Also, Australia does not have a National Security Council or National Security Advisor (NSA), making an NSA-level mechanism inconceivable—yet having one would help Australia better coordinate and engage in the growing number of global NSA-level dialogues. The recommendation for such a mechanism was officially raised in the 2009 Security Cooperation arrangement between India and Australia. India already has dedicated NSA-level working mechanisms with countries like the US, Russia, and Japan. India even has one with China under special representative-level talks. Such dedicated institutional mechanisms help India in continuing dialogue on mutual security issues with Australia. Other potential areas for collaboration can include surveillance and reconnaissance, marine warfare, and armed unmanned aerial vehicles, mainly spearheaded by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and tech start-ups that can offer innovative solutions. The INDUS-X bilateral defence technology partnership between India and the U.S. provides a structured template for exploring potential bilateral collaboration. Finally, convergences in Quad have become more pertinent. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, Australia and India worked together in Quad to deliver 400 million vaccines, and this proven collaboration offers significant policy scope to coordinate activities at minilateral and multilateral setups in the medical and humanitarian sectors. Given America's inward focus, India and Australia can explore leadership roles in Quad because of their growing strategic interests, regional influence, and shared commitment to a stable and rules-based order. This article is authored by Rishi Gupta, assistant director, and Rahul Jaybhay, research analyst, Asia Society Policy Institute, Delhi.
India Gazette
18 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Union Minister Goyal meets trade, commerce delegations in Srinagar, lauds locals for support during Op Sindoor
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 6 (ANI): Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, during his visit to Srinagar on Sunday, thanked people for their support during Operation Sindoor. 'We are indebted to the people of Kashmir for the way they supported Operation Sindoor and stood firm against terrorism. Like we have decided to end Naxalism by 2026, I am confident that together we will eradicate terrorism from its roots,' Goyal told ANI. Operation Sindoor was initiated on May 7 this year in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed. The Union Minister said he met with trade and commerce delegations today. 'Today, I met many delegations. The state government and the central government are jointly paying attention to all their issues and will give a boost to the industry and trade here like the Modi government brought a Rs 28000 crore scheme earlier,' Goyal said. Addressing reporters, Goyal said that tourism in Kashmir will boom due to the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, which will lead to a growth in the economy. 'Now, the Amarnath Yatra has also started, and tourists have also come to Gulmarg. People have done home stays here. Today, home stay will start in thousands of houses, their income will increase, and Kashmir's economy will also grow,' he said. Goyal said that he will try to reduce GST on handicrafts to 5 per cent. 'We have discussed with the people about handicrafts here. Give me its draft. I will try to reduce the GST to 5 per cent so that the production of handicrafts here can increase. There has been a discussion about opening an assembly centre. We will open that too,' he said. On minimum support prices for apples, the Union Minister said, 'We have talked about apple, so its MSP should be Rs 50 and duty Rs 25, and after that a lot of tax is levied, after which the consumer has to pay more than Rs 125-150. For this, I will talk to the Agriculture Minister.' Sharing posts on X, Goyal wrote about his meetings with various delegations. In an X post, he wrote, 'Today, I met with representatives of the Jammu-Kashmir Fruits and Vegetable Processing and Integrated Cold Chain Association (JKPICCA) in Srinagar. During this, discussions were held on strategies to sustain industrial development in the cold chain and agro-processing sectors, which are extremely important for strengthening J&K's agricultural economy and boosting exports.' He also met the representatives of the MSME Development Forum, Jammu and Kashmir and discussed the ease of doing business. 'In Srinagar, a detailed discussion was held with the MSME Development Forum, Jammu-Kashmir, regarding various suggestions to promote local enterprises. During this, measures to enhance the competitiveness of MSMEs, improve Ease of Doing Business, and connect them to the national supply chain were discussed,' Goyal wrote on X. The Union Minister also met a delegation from the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Srinagar. 'Today, I met with a delegation from the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Srinagar. During this, meaningful discussions took place on empowering local industries, accelerating economic development, and creating a favourable environment for business,' an X post read. Meanwhile, the Union Minister also extended greetings to the 14th Dalai Lama on the occasion of his 90th birthday. 'I praise the Dalai Lama. 140 crore people of this country respect him and pray for his long life. All of us wish that the injustice done to the people of Tibet must be resolved in the future,' the minister said. Goyal also enjoyed a 'shikara' ride on the Dal Lake in Srinagar. (ANI)
India Gazette
18 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Adani Enterprises announces Rs 1,000 crore NCD issue offering up to 9.30% p.a.
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], July 6 (ANI): Adani Enterprises Limited, the flagship company of the Adani Group and India's largest listed business incubators in terms of market capitalization with a long track record of creating sustainable infrastructure businesses since 1993, has announced the launch of its second public issuance of secured, rated, listed redeemable, non-convertible debentures. AEL's first NCD issuance of Rs 800 crore, launched in September last year, was fully subscribed on the first day. 'The second public issuance of NCDs by AEL, further deepens our commitment to inclusive capital markets growth and retail participation in long-term infrastructure development. This new issuance follows the strong market response to AEL's debut NCD offering, which witnessed capital appreciation for debt investors after a rating upgrade within six months, reflecting the Group's consistent delivery and financial robustness,' said Jugeshinder 'Robbie' Singh, Group CFO, Adani Group. 'As the incubator of India's most critical energy and transport utility platforms including Adani Ports & SEZ, Adani Energy Solutions, Adani Power, and Adani Green Energy, AEL is now successfully scaling the next generation of infrastructure businesses across airports, roads, data centers, and the green hydrogen ecosystem. Each of these verticals is poised to play a transformative role in India's journey toward a USD 5 trillion economy,' he added. AEL is the only corporate (outside of NBFCs) offering a listed debt product for retail investors, thereby creating a rare opportunity for individual and non-institutional investors to participate in India's infrastructure growth story. With the recent rate cuts and the beginning of a softer interest rate cycle, the AEL NCD issue comes at an opportune time for investors seeking stable, fixed-income avenues. Offering competitive yields compared to similarly rated NCDs and fixed deposits, this public issue presents a valuable proposition for the investors. The proposed NCDs have been rated 'Care AA-; Stable' and '[ICRA]AA- (Stable)'. CARE Ratings first upgraded the credit rating of AEL on 19 February 2025 and reaffirmed the rating on 18 June 2025. ICRA assigned ''[ICRA]AA- (Stable)' rating on 28 March 2025 and reaffirmed it on 17 June 2025. Securities with this rating are considered to have a high degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such securities carry very low credit risk. The base size issue is Rs 500 crore, with an option to retain over-subscription up to an additional Rs 500 crore ('Green Shoe Option') aggregating up to Rs 1,000 crore ('Issue' or 'Issue Size'). The Issue will open on 9 July 2025, and close on 22 July 2025, with an option of early closure or extension. The NCDs have a face value of Rs 1000 each. Each application will be for a minimum of 10 NCDs and in multiples of 1 NCD thereafter. The minimum application size would be Rs 10,000. At least 75 per cent of the proceeds from the issuance will be utilized towards the prepayment or repayment, in full or in part, of the existing indebtedness availed by the Company, and the balance (up to a maximum of 25 per cent) for general corporate purposes. Nuvama Wealth Management Limited, Trust Investment Advisors Private Limited and Tipsons Consultancy Services Private Limited are the Lead Managers to the Issue. The NCDs are available in tenors of 24 months, 36 months and 60 months with quarterly, annual and cumulative interest payment options across eight series. (ANI)
