Indian government pushes gasification

New Delhi has revived plans for a gas pipeline to Jammu and Kashmir as it seeks to expand the country’s gas network

India continues to drive forward with its ambitious gasification plans. The country’s annual budget statement includes a proposed pipeline linking its burgeoning gas grid to the Himalayan district of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as calling for an independent operator for the network. An earlier incarnation of the 730km pipeline, due to run north from Punjab to Srinagar, was all but abandoned due to initial engineering costs. And while India’s 16,800km national gas grid is relatively underdeveloped for a nation of 1.4bn people, it will have to expand rapidly to supply what the government and IEA anticipates will be one of the fastest-growing gas markets in the world. New Delhi aims to increase