Even while Gujarat has been demanding gas allocation from the domestic sources, the state is believed to consume nearly one third of the country's total gas consumption, informed experts at an industry seminar held in Ahmedabad on Friday.
At a 'Symposium on National Energy Security' at Nirma University campus in Ahmedabad, the industry players discussed the need of more liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals and compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure in Gujarat.
"Gujarat consumes one third gas consumption of country with just 5 per cent of country's population. Gas demand and supplies never meet, demand increase in tandem with the supply. Therefore, we need more LNG terminals and CNG infrastructure in state," said Ravindra Agarwal, GM-commercial, Gujarat State Petronet Ltd (GSPL).Addressing the gathering, L Mansingh, former chairperson, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) maintained that pricing policy and selling of subsidised fuel in the country was not proper. "Now-a-days sales of diesel vehicles is on the rise despite the fact that they are costly than petrol-driven vehicles. This is because of the tendency of higher class to use cheaper fuel. Therefore we should have a system so that benefits of the subsidy remain limited to target class," said Mansingh.
According to experts, the share of natural gas in energy mix of the country is nearly 20 per cent. Commenting on the energy accessibility in India, experts maintained that about 30 per cent of the total population do not have access to commercial energy, while 33 per cent even don’t use energy. Experts from country's energy sector discussed the about the need of sustainable, affordable and environment-friendly energy in India. With GDP projections of about 8 per cent, India’s energy consumption is likely to increase significantly.
The one-day symposium was organised by Institute of Management, Nirma University in association with Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation, Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd and Gujarat Industries Power Company Ltd.