700 households already using PNG gas to cook; a major step forward for the city’s energy transition

Mysore/Mysuru: The direct-to-home Piped Natural Gas (PNG) project that was formally inaugurated in Mysuru on July 15, 2022, has progressed well and the project has covered areas like Vijayanagar First Stage, Vijayanagar Second Stage (within the Outer Ring Road) and Kuvempunagar. Over 700 homes are now using PNG effortlessly in their kitchens.

Over 35,000 consumers have already registered for the PNG supply and there have been 10,000 conversions (plumbing work completed) so far. The process is on to cover the next areas of the city and the target is to complete the project in Mysuru city in 2025.

AG&P (Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Company) Pratham India has been awarded the tender to supply PNG to Mysuru in a Central Government project. 

In a telephonic conversation with Star of Mysore, Brajesh, Zonal Head – South Karnataka of AG&P Pratham, Arun Nayak, Regional Head and Nitin Huilgol, Assistant Vice-President – Marketing, said that the project is moving at a steady pace with the primary objective of establishing a pipeline network that will facilitate the distribution of CNG gas directly to individual households.

Those consumers who are already using PNG in their homes are paying Rs. 700 to Rs. 800 per month which is over 15 percent lesser than their earlier cooking gas budget, they said.

“Initially, there were certain problems that arose due to concerns over road digging work and now we have all the regulatory approvals. The initial problem was a minor setback and was part of the job. The larger interest and aim is to achieve a cleaner, safe and eco-friendly fuel consumption,” Arun Nayak said.

He emphasised that the introduction of PNG as a household fuel option presents a safer and more cost-effective alternative to traditional sources. “Our next target is to cover the entire Vijayanagar area in and outside of the Outer Ring Road and then move on to the other areas beyond Kuvempunagar. While the main LCNG (Liquid to Compressed Natural Gas) plants have been set up at Hebbal and Nanjangud, parallelly the work on the pipeline laying too is progressing well,” they said.

The expansion project has received the necessary approvals from the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to lay a 45-km pipeline network. This development aligns with the State and the Centre’s focus on promoting alternative and eco-friendly energy sources, as highlighted in the current year’s budget.

“The Government has a number of regulations that need to be met before a PNG project can be implemented and the company has had to wait for these approvals to be granted. We are in close touch with the Government to enable the connections in line with the future of an eco-friendly future. We are implementing the project in a way that minimises the impact on the residents. Local authorities are being taken into confidence to minimise traffic disruption arising out of road digging,” Arun Nayak added.

To register for PNG connection, customers can either pre-register online on the AG&P website or call the toll-free number listed on the portal. Once the application is submitted, the company team will undertake a site inspection and feasibility check and later, the pipeline and meter will be installed. Customers will then need to pay a security deposit, which is fully refundable.

Zonal Head Brajesh said that many industries in Mysuru, Nanjangud, Kadakola and surrounding areas have adopted CNG fuel. They are mainly Multinational Companies, Pharmaceuticals, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and paints and electronics industry. “Many school buses have switched to CNG fuel and the conversion (retrofitting) from petrol, diesel vehicles (Light Commercial Vehicles) to CNG has been encouraging,” he said.

“We have 18 operational CNG stations in Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar and we have six within Mysuru city limits. The target is to increase the stations to 34 by March 2024. We have seven retrofitters (authorised petrol and diesel engine converters to CNG) in Mysuru who can transform the old fuel engine to CNG-enabled vehicles in just three to four hours,” he explained.