PNGRB approves 1,800 km LPG pipeline network worth Rs 7,000 crore

Oil sector regulator has authorised the development of nearly 1,800 km of new LPG pipelines at an estimated investment of Rs 7,000 crore, expanding the country's common-carrier LPG pipeline network by almost a quarter as it seeks to make fuel supplies more resilient and reduce dependence on road transport.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has approved three strategically important LPG pipeline projects across Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Goa, the regulator said in a statement.

The projects, to be developed by state-run GAIL (India) Ltd, will take the PNGRB-authorised common-carrier LPG pipeline network from about 7,700 km to nearly 9,500 km, an increase of around 23.5 per cent.

The expansion comes as India relies heavily on imported LPG, with bulk supplies arriving at coastal import terminals and then being transported to consumption centres across the country.

A larger pipeline network is expected to improve the efficiency