Message from the Executive Director

While 2022 gas market saw a lot of noise due to the invasion of Ukraine and resulting cut in Russian supplies to world leading to concerns that perhaps the world would not have enough natural gas, 2023 was more a year of rebalancing. The markets have recovered to some extent albeit the fear of volatility in demand, supplies and prices, still linger. Some experts are of the opinion that given the big climate goals countries have set for themselves world over, a shift away from natural gas (given it is a fossil fuel) is certain and accordingly gas could see slower growth in coming years and the world transitions to alternate clean forms of energy. On the other hand, optimists or gas advocates are still hopeful of its return with large LNG liquefaction and regasification capacities being added or in pipeline which will only increase the trading capabilities and therefore, the gas consumption. Indeed, even if there is a transition towards cleaner energy, natural gas which can be implemented at scale could be the cheapest and lowest-carbon supporting candidate. With the right regulatory and infrastructural changes, natural gas can play a key role in decarbonising power supply in the coming decades, supporting the accelerated rollout of intermittent renewables through affordable and reliable grid balancing. It is growing its usage in transport sector as well – both for road transport as well as a marine fuel.
In India too, gas is expected to increase its share in the energy mix with government focused on making it available to masses. With the recently launched 12th round of CGD bidding, the government aims to cover 100% of India’s population (98% currently) and geographical area (88% currently). The country has also increased its LNG regasification capacity to 47.7 MMTPA last year with the opening of Dhamra LNG import terminal. Efforts are on to link the demand and supply areas by way of laying more pipelines both transmission and distribution. Many parts of the Urja Ganga pipeline are now complete and the eastern parts will now be able to receive gas supplies from either LNG terminals on the east coast or by through pipelines. The north eastern areas of the country are also being connected through the North East Gas Grid. Two very important reforms were undertaken by the government in 2023 towards achieving uniform gas pricing and gas transportation tariffs in the country. Recently, the government has also made CBG blending mandatory in the CNG and PNG domestic segments of the CGD sector. This will encourage development of more CBG projects in the country and production of green gas. More states such as Karnataka and Haryana are rolling out their own city gas distribution policy to streamline and standardise their clearance processes for ease of laying of CGD networks in their districts. In this issue, we have included a Feature Story: Natural Gas 2023 – The Year of Rebalancing, providing a synopsis of the year 2023 covering trends and outlook for the natural gas sector. We have also done a snapshot of 2023 highlighting some of the main developments through the year, both globally and in India.
It is with great pleasure that we share with you about the growing membership base of NGS. During the quarter (October-December 2023), Chitkara University, Chandigarh and Shiv Nadar University, Noida have been enrolled as the Associate Members in the Academic Institutions category. Also, two more professionals have joined NGS as Individual Life Members (LM), taking the total number of LMs to eleven.
Shri DV Shastry, Executive Director, NGS participated as a speaker and panelist in various professional events including “Lifelong Learning: The Essence of Individual & Organisational Excellence” at SRISIIM, New Delhi on September 16, 2023, “SHRM MENA Annual Conference & Expo 2023” on November 1 & 2, 2023 at Dubai, FICCI’s “Higher Education Summit” on November 29 & 30, 2023 at New Delhi, “Mission Net Zero India Summit 2023” on December 7 & 8, 2023 at Yashobhumi, Dwarka, New Delhi, etc. NGS was the Association Partner in this event. He also had the honour of being a member of the Jury for the SHRM “India HR Excellence Awards 2023” in September 2023. Shri VC Chittoda (Sr Consultant) and Shri Satish Geda (Sr Consultant), NGS participated in the roadshow organised by PNGRB for the 12th CGD bidding round on November 30, 2023 at New Delhi and also in “Mission Net Zero India Summit 2023” in December 2023 at New Delhi. Shri Chittoda continued his active participation in the Technical Standards Committee of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The “India Energy Week 2024” (IEW 2024) will be held from February 6 to 9, 2024 in Goa, India. IEW2024 is being organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India and supported by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI). It will be India’s largest and only all-encompassing energy exhibition and conference, bringing together the entire energy value chain and will serve as a catalyst for India’s energy transition goals.
Welcoming over 35,000 attendees, 350 exhibitors, 400 speakers and 4,000+ delegates from over 100 countries, India Energy Week will be a truly global gathering, convening policymakers, business leaders and energy pioneers to collaborate, discover new opportunities and strengthen partnerships.
We have the pleasure in sharing with you that NGS is collaborating with the organisers of IEW2024 as the ‘Association Partner’ for the IEW2024 event.
As shared earlier in the October 2023 issue of GSR, The “Future Energy Asia (FEA) Exhibition & Summit 2024” will be held from May 15-17, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. This event is hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand’s Ministry of Energy and organised by dmg events. FEA is the region’s leading energy transition forum, providing unparalleled access to government and industry leaders transforming the energy value chain in Asia and worldwide.
This three-day event will see participation of 500 experts and 2000+ senior decision makers in a strategic summit and technical conferences over 250 sessions scheduled. Further, the exhibition floor will host over 350 companies from more than 70 countries showcasing the energy sector’s vital role in meeting global energy demands and unlocking the potential of a decarbonised future. It is expected that more than 21,000 visitors would be attending the same. This will be of great interest to the entire natural gas sector, including the CGD companies.
The organisers of FEA have invited NGS as the ‘Association Partner’ for the 2024 event. With persistent efforts, NGS has been able to obtain various concessions/discounts for the NGS Member Organisations and Individual Members in terms of the delegate fee. Discount will also be available to the organisational members for putting stall at the FEA exhibition. Those desirous of participation in FEA 2024 and availing the above benefits may get in touch with us at ngs@ngsindia.org for details in this regard.
We express sincere thanks to our member organisations and the individual members for their continued support due to which NGS has been able to continue with its efforts for value addition to its members and the NG Transmission & CGD sector. As always, we invite suggestions & guidance and look forward to support from our members for continual improvement.

Wishing all a very happy and prosperous New Year 2024,

DV Shastry
Executive Director

 

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