Moving India's share of natural gas in the primary energy mix from ~6% to 15% needs more than pipeline length. Examine the bottlenecks and the role of the regulator.

Natural gas makes up only about 6% of India's primary energy mix, against a target of 15% by 2030 [1][2]. City Gas Distribution (CGD) is now authorised for nearly the whole country, and about 35,000 km of pipelines are authorised [1]. Yet gas use still lags, so the real limits are supply, affordability and actual use rather than network length.

Bottlenecks

• Weak domestic supply: domestic gas output grew only 0.98% a year from 2014 to 2023, while net imports grew 6.13% a year [3]. Relying on LNG exposes consumers to shocks like the Hormuz disruption.
• Connection is not consumption: in PNG Drive 2.0, 15.31 lakh registrations turned into only 12.10 lakh connections [1]. Low LPG refill rates under Ujjwala show that access does not guarantee use [3].
• Execution gaps: CAG found that GAIL Gas missed its CGD milestones because of poor planning, poor contract management and delayed permissions [4].
• Poor viability: CGD networks take 10–15 years to recover their cost, which discourages investment in low-demand areas [1].
• Cost over distance: additive pipeline tariffs made gas costlier for consumers in far-flung areas [5].

Role of the Regulator (PNGRB)

• Statutory mandate: under the PNGRB Act, 2006, it regulates midstream and downstream activities such as transport, distribution and marketing, but not production [6]. It can widen reach but cannot raise domestic supply.
• Tariff reform: it introduced a Unified Tariff of ₹80.97/MMBTU from 1 July 2024 with three distance zones, under "One Nation, One Grid, One Tariff" [5].
• Enforcing commitments: it encashed GAIL Gas's Performance Bank Guarantee over unmet targets [4]. Strict enforcement of the Minimum Work Programme (MWP) has to become routine.
• New success metric: it is moving from kilometres laid to gas actually consumed. NHIMS puts infrastructure data on one digital platform [1].
• Consumer outreach: MyPNG Portal and PNG Drive 3.0 [1].
• Independence: the Minister stressed that it must stay at arm's length from administrative and commercial interests [1].

Reaching 15% therefore needs supply, affordability and real usage to grow together. PNGRB should publish area-wise consumption data through NHIMS and enforce MWPs strictly. MoPNG should raise domestic output, and States should speed up clearances. An independent, consumption-focused regulator can make gas a true transition fuel, advancing energy security and SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy).