IGL’s big PNG push: 3,000 connections/day target, 4.85 lakh PNG connections in 90 days

PNG connection requests in Indraprastha Gas Limited’s (IGL) coverage area have almost tripled, from 600-700 per day to 2,100-2,200 per day, as more consumers switch from LPG following the US-Israel-Iran war breakout in West Asia.   

The company expects the number to climb further to 3,000 per day by the end of a 90-day government-mandated window, Kamal Kishore Chatiwal, MD of IGL, told Business Today on the sidelines of the Energy Security conference in New Delhi on April 10.   

The company is also targeting 4.85 lakh new PNG connections across its entire network in the same period, Chatiwal added.  

Elaborating on the government’s mandate to switch to PNG, he said, “India has sufficient natural gas supply to cater to domestic PNG demand. We produce approximately 100 million standard cubic metres of natural gas per day, enough to service the 4% PNG and 30% CNG segment.”  

As City Gas Distribution (CDG) companies gear up to expand the PNG network under the government’s mandate, IGL’s strategy is to identify pockets where 100% PNG penetration is achievable and make them LPG-free. Areas like New Moti Bagh, East Kidwai Nagar and West Kidwai Nagar in Delhi are already LPG-free. The company aims to apply this model one city at a time.  

On the commercial and industrial PNG front, Connaught Place alone has over 13,000 commercial and industrial PNG connections, a number set to grow significantly over the next three months.   

For instance, over 72 food joints in Connaught Place, including chains like Domino’s and McDonald’s, have expressed interest in switching to PNG. Applications from 42 such food joints are already in process, with IGL working with local bodies to fast-track clearances and permissions.  

Meanwhile, CNG demand remains strong, with IGL dispensing 5.6 million kg per day across its network, the IGL MD said. Chatiwal said PNG is safer, more economical, and a more reliable source of supply, and consumers should make the switch at the earliest.  

As of 2026, IGL operates a network of over 1,000 CNG stations, and it’s PNG services cover over 12 geographical areas across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.  

Govt’s PNG mandate 

On March 24, 2026, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued the Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution Order, 2026, under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, mandating households to switch to PNG in areas where piped natural gas connectivity already exists. 

As per the mandate, those who have both PNG and LPG will have to give up  their LPG connection within 90 days. Consumers failing  to do so will see no LPG cylinder deliveries after the deadline. Exemptions exist only where a connection is technically infeasible and requires a No-Objection Certificate to continue receiving LPG.  

To prevent local bodies or Resident Welfare Associations from stalling the rollout, the order grants deemed approval powers to gas distribution companies. Once all clearances are secured, the CGD entities are legally mandated to provide last-mile connectivity within 48 hours.  

India’s LPG demand 

India consumes roughly 31.3 million metric tonnes of LPG every year. Domestic production meets only about 40% of that demand, leaving the rest to be imported. Nearly 90% of those imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical and now most contested energy shipping lanes.

The ongoing conflict in West Asia has effectively choked that corridor, triggering a supply crunch that has hit Indian households, especially migrant workers, those living in rented apartments and commercial kitchens hard.  

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Sujata Sharma said, “Our import dependency for LPG is much higher than the import dependency for PNG and LNG. We produce 50% domestically as far as PNG is concerned, so it is in the national interest that we shift from LPG to PNG.”