The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is planning to extend deadlines for the city gas distribution projects to avoid penalising companies for delays caused by the nationwide lockdown.
This will help more than a dozen companies implementing 136 city gas distribution projects across the country. The board will decide the quantum of extension after consultations with the industry.
The regulator had issued about 136 new city gas distribution licences over the past two years, picking winners primarily on the basis of the work pledged, including the number of piped gas connections, natural gas stations and length of the proposed pipeline.
The companies are penalised for missing annual work programme targets they proposed during bidding. Projects that have already been completed or are nearing completion will face the challenge of lower energy demand.