NEW DELHI: India may not meet its target of increasing the share of natural gas in the country’s energy mix to 15% by 2030, according to Spencer Dale, group chief economist at BP plc.
Dale, speaking to the press on Wednesday, also mentioned that there is potential for growth in natural gas consumption in the country, with industrial consumption expected to drive this growth.
“In our (outlook) scenarios, the share of natural gas doesn’t increase. It increases a little bit but doesn’t go to 15%, it goes (to) about 7-8%, but doesn’t increase significantly more. I think there is scope to grow natural gas, even more in India, particularly in terms of natural gas within industry,” he said.
Currently, natural gas accounts for 6.7% of India’s energy mix. The government has set an ambitious target to increase this share to 15% by 2030. To achieve this goal, several measures have been implemented, including the expansion of the National Gas Grid, which now spans 24,623 km with an additional 10,860 km under construction.