Draft liquefied natural gas policy aims to run more trucks on LNG

The Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas has prepared a draft liquefied natural gas (LNG) policy which aims to set up a framework for the promotion of gas and find ways for LNG adoption in sectors which currently does not use it as a fuel. To make LNG the fuel of the future for heavy transport, the policy targets to convert 10% of long haul heavy duty trucks to ply on LNG. The timeline to achieve the target has not been specified in the draft document.

The automotive companies will be incentivised towards manufacturing LNG-based heavy vehicles and creating ancillary manufacturing units through tax exemptions and green certifications, the draft policy said. There is also a plan to create enabling infrastructure for the operation of a virtual gas pipeline for transporting LNG through railways and trucks. To accommodate this, the policy envisages promotion of dedicated highways with extensive LNG infrastructure.