Oil sector regulator on Saturday said it has authorised the development of nearly 1,800 km of new LPG pipelines across six states at an estimated investment of Rs 7,000 crore.
This will expand the country's common-carrier LPG pipeline network by almost a quarter, as the oil regulator seeks to make fuel supplies more resilient and reduce dependence on road transport, , according to news agency PTI.
<h2>Pipeline expansion</h2>
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has approved three strategically important LPG pipeline projects across Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Goa, the regulator said in a statement.
<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/business/business-news/article/market-update-gail-q4-net-profit-falls-38-pc-on-west-asia-conflict-related-disruption-23631660" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">State-run GAIL (India) Ltd </a>will develop these projects, which will take the PNGRB-authorised common-carrier LPG pipeline network from about 7,700 km to nearly 9,500 km, an increase of around 23.5 per cent.
The three newly authorised projects are 556-km Cherlapally (Telangana) to Nagpur (Maharashtra) line, 611-km Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) to Sitarganj (Uttarakhand) pipeline and 633-km Shikrapur (Maharashtra) to Goa and Hubli (Karnataka) line.
The projects build on the earlier authorisation of the 2,757-km Kandla-Gorakhpur LPG pipeline, the longest LPG pipeline in the country, according to PTI.
<h2>Why is the regulator expanding the pipeline network?</h2>
The regulator has been pushing to eliminate the primary movement of LPG by road to bottling plants, particularly after a series of serious road <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-tanker-explosion-one-dead-three-injured-after-gas-tanker-explodes-at-welding-garage-in-chembur-23640294" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">accidents involving LPG tankers</a>.
Pipeline transportation is considered a safer and more economical mode of moving LPG over long distances, while the shift from road to pipeline also reduces the risks associated with the movement of hazardous fuel by tank trucks, as per PTI.
Besides, a larger pipeline network is expected to improve the efficiency and reliability of moving LPG inland, as India relies heavily on imported LPG, with bulk supplies arriving at coastal import terminals and then being transported to consumption centres across the country.&nbsp;
A nationwide pipeline grid can provide an alternative to road-based supply chains and help maintain flows during disruptions, emergencies or periods of unusually high demand, as per PTI.
The pipelines can also act as a form of "line-pack storage", enabling LPG to be held within the pipeline network while product continues to flow. This creates an additional buffer that enhances the supply system&rsquo;s flexibility and resilience during <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/maharashtra-govt-says-fuel-supplies-are-stable-and-lpg-situation-is-improving-23624445" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">short-term disruptions</a>.
The expansion of pipeline is a broader effort to build a more integrated LPG transportation network, linking coastal import points and major consumption centres while reducing pressure on road logistics.
PNGRB said the new pipeline would help in expediting the shift from road-based transportation of LPG to pipelines, reducing the movement of LPG tankers and improving road safety while cutting logistics costs, traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
(With inputs from PTI)

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