CBG, LNG to Steer India's Gas Sector Growth in Next Five Years: Sanjeev Bhatia
City gas firms view compressed biogas (CBG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as major growth catalysts in India's shift towards clean energy, with both sectors projected to thrive in the upcoming five to ten years, stated Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) Executive Director Sanjeev Bhatia during the PHDCCI Global Summit on Sustainability 2025.
During the session on hard-to-abate sectors, Bhatia mentioned that although India's natural gas contribution to the energy mix aims to increase from 6.5 percent to 15 percent by 2030, domestic output is lagging behind demand, highlighting the importance of alternatives such as CBG.
The government has instructed city gas distributors to invest in facilities for compressed biogas production. IGL has been assigned to establish a minimum of 10 such facilities, with one plant in Narela, Delhi anticipated to commence operations by October.
“This unit will generate four tonnes of gas daily from municipal solid waste,” Sanjeev states.
Regarding LNG, Bhatia emphasized the huge potential in India's transport industry, noting that India has 700 LNG-powered trucks compared to China's 600,000. Even converting a portion of diesel trucks to LNG can reduce pollution by 30 percent.
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To tackle the "chicken and egg" challenge of infrastructure versus vehicle uptake, IGL and various gas firms intend to set up 50 LNG stations along the golden quadrilateral, while collaborating with cement, steel, and fertiliser sectors to require a minimum of 10-20 percent fleet conversion.
CBG and LNG naturally extend from CNG, and these two industries are set to thrive in the next five to ten years, Bhatia emphasized, pointing out that hydrogen blending is currently not commercially feasible.
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International Solar Alliance (ISA) Director General Ashish Khanna says, “India’s achievements in renewable energy have made it a global leader in the solar sector. India is the only G20 country that has achieved its 50 per cent renewable energy capacity target well ahead of time, with 116 GW of solar already commissioned. This has been possible because India created an ecosystem of strong political will, policy support, financial backing, and private sector capacity.”