Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Puri reiterates vision of PM to increase share of natural gas to 15 per cent in the energy mix
Inaugural Edition of PNGRB’s International Conference held on sidelines
of IEW 2024
Energy Regulatory Authorities from South and Southeast Asian Nations
participate in Conference
The inaugural edition of the International Conference of Petroleum and
Natural Gas Regulators was held under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural
Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) between 5-8th February 2024
during the India Energy Week (IEW) 2024, Goa. The conference featured major
South and Southeast Asian National Energy Regulatory Authorities from
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as well as
international industry leaders. S&P Global Commodity Insights was the
knowledge partner for the conference.
The conference’s overarching theme, “Navigating Pathways for Natural Gas
Development”, emphasized upon natural gas’s role in driving faster and deeper
emission reduction that is vital to meet climate goals of emerging and
developing countries. The discussions at five plenary sessions delved into a
spectrum of topics, ranging from geopolitical uncertainties impacting energy
security, rapid infrastructure development, public-private partnerships and
institutional growth. An exclusive roundtable of international regulators
brought together the custodians of regulatory frameworks, providing a platform
for sharing best practices, cross-border collaborative strategies to enhance
energy security and ensuring effective governance.
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep
Singh Puri while addressing the gathering reiterated Prime Minister’s vision to
increase the share of natural gas from 6% to 15% in India’s energy mix. He
appreciated PNGRB for this initiative and emphasised that going forward
international regulatory conclave of oil and gas regulators be made as an
integral feature of IEW. Dr Anil Kumar Jain, Chairperson, PNGRB, stressed upon
the importance of regional collaboration between South and Southeast Asian
countries for knowledge sharing to formulate effective regulatory frameworks
for natural gas development.
The esteemed group of speakers bought forward the need for natural gas to
row in the energy mix and its role as a transition fuel to achieve net-zero
emissions. They highlighted geopolitical uncertainties impacting energy supply
to developing countries and the need for a united front from the global south
to secure energy supply. The dialogue put spotlight on India’s natural gas
regulatory and infrastructure development, especially for overall
infrastructure development and city gas distribution sector to provide reliable
and affordable clean energy. The industry leaders advocated for the need for a
regional clean energy agenda between South and Southeast Asian nations via
interconnected gas and electricity grids.
The International Conference of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulators
served as a nexus of expertise, offering an opportunity for various
stakeholders to network, exchange knowledge and forge partnerships to shape the
future of natural gas development.