Pipeline dreams of gas-based economy: Hurdles in govt's $118-bn masterplan

Though the government is mulling options to create a gas hub, doing so demands higher volume and maturity in the domestic market

Natural gas accounts for just 6 per cent of India’s energy basket, but the government has an $118 billion “masterplan” to increase this share to about 15 per cent in five years. To achieve this, it has earmarked some $60 billion to create the infrastructure — pipelines, import terminals and city gas distribution (CGD) networks — by 2024 and another $58 billion on hydrocarbon exploration and production by 2023.

India is the world’s third biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world and this masterplan is pitched as a step towards a cleaner fuel, meeting the United Nations COP21 commitments on