‘More cuts in domestic gas supply to CNG firms,’ says Indraprastha Gas company

Government cuts domestic gas supply to CNG retailers, impacting profitability; retailers explore options to address issue.

The government has for the second time in a month cut supplies of cheaper domestically produced natural gas to compressed natural gas (CNG) retailers, who have warned of their profitability being hit.

Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) — the firm that retails CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households in the national capital and adjoining cities — in a stock exchange filing said domestic supplies have been cut by about 20% effective November 16, 2024.

Previously, supplies had been cut by about 21% effective October 16, 2024.

“Based on another communication received by the company from GAIL (India) Limited (the nodal agency for domestic gas allocation), this is to inform you that there has been further reduction in domestic gas allocation to the company effective from November 16, 2024. The revised domestic gas allocation to the company is approx. 20% less than the previous allocation, which will have an adverse impact on the profitability of the company,” IGL said.

IGL gets domestic gas allocation for meeting the requirement of CNG sales volumes at the pricing fixed by the government (presently at $6.5 per million British thermal unit).

The alternative to this is to use imported gas, which is twice the domestic rate. “The company is exploring all options to address the issue,” IGL said.

Natural gas pumped from below the ground and from under the seabed from sites ranging from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal within India is the raw material that is turned into CNG for sale to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households.