CHENNAI: Erode, the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts have topped the state with the highest number of piped natural gas (PNG) supply to domestic consumers. According to data presented in the Lok Sabha, the Nilgiris and Erode districts together account for the highest number of PNG connections, with 41,999 households covered out of the targeted 8.84 lakh families as of December 2025. Pipeline laying in these districts has reached 1,205 km, representing 91% of the planned 1,316 km.
Similarly, Coimbatore district ranks next, with 39,239 connections against a target of 9.12 lakh households, and about 2,500 km (81%) of the proposed 3,079 km pipeline network has been completed. However, in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts, 4,933 households have been provided connections out of a total 33 lakh targeted consumers. The pipeline laying has reached 2,868 km, or 43% of the planned 6,666 km in Chennai and Tiruvallur.
In total, around 1.32 lakh households in the state have been provided PNG connections, against a total target of 2.36 crore across the state till December 2025. Industry sources attributed the delay in laying pipelines to delays in obtaining road-cutting permissions, shifting power and sewer lines, and other related issues.
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi recently informed the Lok Sabha that out of the proposed 37,374 km of pipeline planned to expand PNG supply, 19,080 km (51%) has been completed. Of the 2,825 CNG stations planned, 503 have been commissioned till December 2025 in Tamil Nadu.
The data revealed that 2.36 crore connections cover households residing in 38 districts in Tamil Nadu, Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh and Kolar district in Karnataka. The deadline for achieving this target has been set as March 31, 2032.
The minister’s reply was in response to a question raised by DMK MP A Raja. Gopi said city gas distribution (CGD) projects are being implemented by companies authorised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).