Enunciating his energy roadmap, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the share of natural gas in India’s energy basket will be more than doubled, energy sources diversified and the nation will be connected with one gas pipeline grid to help bring affordable fuel to people and industry.
Inaugurating a 450-km natural gas pipeline between Kochi in Kerala and Mangaluru in Karnataka, he said India under his government is seeing unprecedented work on highways, railway, metro, air, water, digital and gas connectivity which will aid economic development.
The government has an “integrated approach to energy planning. Our energy agenda is all-inclusive,” he said.
While on one hand, the natural gas pipeline network is being doubled to about 32,000 km in 5-6 years, on the other, work on the world’s biggest hybrid renewable plant combining wind and solar power has started in Gujarat.
Also, the emphasis is being laid on manufacturing biofuels as well as electric mobility, he said.
These measures will help India move away from being highly dependent on polluting coal and liquid fuels for meeting its energy needs.
As much as 58 per cent of all energy consumed in the country currently comes from coal while petroleum and other liquids make up for 26 per cent of the energy basket. Share of natural gas is just 6 per cent while that of renewables is less than 2 per cent.
Modi said the share of natural gas, which is cleaner and can be transported through pipelines thereby cutting vehicular movements needed for other fuels, is targeted to be raised to 15 per cent by 2030. By the same time, petrol will be doped with as much as 20 per cent of ethanol extracted from sugarcane and other agro products, he said.
This would help cut reliance on imports for meeting oil needs as well as reduce carbon emissions. Also, the focus on renewable energy by using abundant energy from the sun and wind to generate electricity and promoting the use of battery-operated electric vehicles will help India meet its COP-21 commitments for cutting carbon emissions.
The Prime Minister said the government is working with a vision to connect the entire nation with one pipeline grid that will help improve clean energy access as well as also aid in the development of city gas projects. The new pipeline inaugurated today is part of that plan, he said.
This new line will help take the fuel to industries such as petrochemical plants and fertiliser units as well as provide fuel for city gas projects for supply of CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households in cities along the route, he said.
– PTI
