No.PR-37 April 29, 2020 New Delhi Government is targeting 15% consumption of Natural Gas in the Energy Basket by the year 2030, said Mr. D K Sarraf, Chair, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) India is one of the largest energy consumers in the world. India’s energy basket has a mix of all the resources available including renewables. To understand the challenges and way forward, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industries, organized an interactive Webinar on ‘Natural Gas Trading through Exchange’ with Mr. D.K Sarraf, Chair, Chair, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) on 28th April 2020. The session witnessed a participation of more than 100 industry players and senior’ members of PHD Chamber all over the country. Mr. D.K Sarraf, Chair, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), appreciated the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry for being at the forefront in organizing such an interactive webinar on such indispensable matter in these vital times. Deliberating the participants and other delegates on the overview of the Natural gas, its technology, where India stands and others. He discussed the energy basket includes oil, gas, coal, etc. In this, natural gas is 6.2% of total energy basket and EPC Global is 24%. So, different kind of gas consumption has the potential to grow in the country. We focus a lot on infrastructure. The government is targeting 15% consumption of natural gas in the energy basket by the year 2030 which will be tough to achieve but we are putting our best foot forward. We are working on a lot of reforms and developments in the gas sector which will help to develop the gas sector and reach to the global heights, said Mr. D.K Sarraf Mr. D.K Sarraf said that we need to consume more natural consumption as compared to others because it is more environment-friendly, more affordable, and can be easily used by the rural population. Natural gas will continue to be important for the energy industry. This is an opportunity for private companies to swift to natural gas. An Autowala can save more than Rs. 9,000 per month if he uses natural gas in his auto. Natural gas has a lot of advantages, but it requires a lot of infrastructure development in terms of energy, port facility, pipelines from the production center to consumption place, city network for taking the natural gas to the city and towns. We are trying our best to upgrade our infrastructure facilities for the same. We started with Gujarat and now we are covering other parts of India as well. In terms of pipelines, we have 16,000 km of pipelines spread all across the country and we are planning to the extent it more in the country. We are diligently working with corporates and other companies in expanding the coverage of natural gas pipelines in India said, Mr. D.K Sarraf. Mr. D.K Sarraf shared that 71% of the population is using the CGG. The industry has developed 9th and 10th rounds of gas distribution in the country. They are working actively and 136 authorizations have been awarded and this a huge achievement for us. They are planning to develop this further in future times. Mr. D.K Sarraf appreciates the support of PHD Chamber and government which is helping in achieving the national goal of having 15% of the share of natural gas in our energy basket. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Senior Vice President, PHD Chamber welcomed Mr. D.K Sarraf and other dignitaries. He appreciated the valuable contribution he has made in helping and assisting the government in every possible way during these times of crisis in the country. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal threw light on the impact of Covid-19 on the economy and industries and impacted the consumption of gas. The consumption of gas has fallen from 25% to 30% during these times. Industries like agriculture have reduced their gas consumption as well. Gas demand is restricted to bounce back soon. There is a lot of development in the extension of the gas pipelines which we are hopeful will happen in the future. Many organizations have been focusing on increasing gas consumption in the country trying to build more infrastructure and transparency in the industry. We highly appreciate the invasion of the Gas trading hub in India which is a step of development for the country said, Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal. We highly appreciate the pro-active steps being taken by Mr. D.K Sarraf. We extend our help and support to the government and your esteemed office by providing our representations on the issues and difficulties being faced by our members and industry partners, said Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal. Mr. Rajeev Mathur, Hydrocarbons Committee and Executive Director Corp affairs, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gave a warm welcome to Mr. D.K Sarraf and other dignitaries in the webinar. He shared the issues and challenges faced by the industry while also suggesting relief measures and steps to ensure the smooth working of the industry in the country. Mr. Rajesh Mediratta, Director, Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) gave a detailed presentation on Natural Gas Trading through Exchange and was the chief sponsor of the webinar. Mr. Salil Gupta, Director, Instinct Infra, and Power Limited delivered a formal vote of thanks to the delegates and participants and was the associate sponsor of the webinar. The webinar was moderated by Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, Principal Director, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The webinar was attended by Shri Pradeep Multani, Vice President, PHD Chamber, Mr. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General, PHD Chamber, and other senior PHD members and industry stalwarts. Ends Media Division PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry