Shell to expand integrated gas, GCC presence in India: Country chair

$289 bn energy giant plans to sign more LNG deals and strengthen lubricants business in India

British energy firm Shell plans to expand in India by deepening its presence in the gas ecosystem and setting up more global capability centres (GCCs), Mansi Madan Tripathy, senior-vice president for APAC lubricants and country chair, Shell India, told Business Standard.

 

Shell India, which is part of a global $289 billion enterprise, plans to sign more liquefied natural gas (LNG) deals with local players. It will boost the capacity of its 5 million tonnes per annum LNG regasification terminal at Hazira, Surat, for an integrated gas business in the country, said Tripathy, without disclosing details of the deals. Shell supplied around 10 per cent of the 26.6 million tonnes of LNG imported by India in 2024.

 

“We are working with the government and industry partners to utilise gas in newer ways. We are focusing on gas-to-power, using LNG in the transport sector and bringing gas under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to increase usage in the country,” said Tripathy in an interview in Goa during India Energy Week.

 

Indian energy companies are signing LNG deals with global players to secure supplies amid the country’s rising demand for energy and the government’s ambition of increasing the share of gas to 15 per cent in the total energy mix from 6 per cent. India is also developing gas infrastructure, including LNG terminals and pipelines, to cater to the country’s rising gas demand.

 

Besides the gas business, Tripathy said Shell sees India as its hub for GCCs, with almost 70 per cent of the company’s financial and IT operations and 30–40 per cent of its GCCs based in the country. The company has three capability centres in India, in Bengaluru and Chennai.

 

Shell, which is the world’s largest supplier of finished lubricants, aims to strengthen that business in India. Tripathy said the company plans to not only offer products but also services such as liquid maintenance, total fluid management, and predictive information to customers, while venturing into battery storage fluids and animal vaccines.

 

The company provides products to over 50,000 outlets in India through more than 200 distributors. “We want to expand the number of outlets and our outreach to mechanics. Currently, we reach around one lakh mechanics and have close to 25 per cent fully owned Shell workshops. We want to expand that as well.”

 

To solidify its presence in India’s lubricant market, Shell acquired a 100 per cent stake in Mumbai-based Raj Petro Specialities last year.

 

Tripathy said Shell is reviewing its strategy for Sprng Energy, amid media reports that the company is considering a full exit from the Indian clean energy firm. Shell acquired Sprng Energy in a $1.55 billion deal in 2022. Sprng develops and operates solar, wind, and hybrid power projects, and currently has 1.8 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in operation and another 1.9 GW under construction.