**Executive Summary**
This public notice concerns proposed amendments to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012. The Ministry intends to amend the rules pertaining to eligibility conditions for registering liquefied natural gas terminals. Stakeholders are requested to furnish comments within 30 days of the notice date (October 24, 2025).
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Amendments Scope:** The amendments pertain to the eligibility conditions for registration of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals.
* **Regulatory Basis:** The amendments are issued under the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 15 read with clause (e) of sub-section (2) of section 60 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act.
* **Effective Date:** The amended rules will come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
* **Definitions:**
* "Act" refers to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006.
* "Board" refers to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board.
* Other undefined words and expressions will have the same meaning as in the Act.
* **Eligibility Conditions:**
* Entities desiring to establish or operate an LNG import terminal after the establishment date of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board must fulfill specific conditions to be eligible for registration.
* **Net Worth:** The entity, its parent company, or its promoters must have a minimum net worth of Rs 1500 crores or more in each of the preceding 3 financial years, as per audited financial statements.
* **Experience:** The entity, its parent company, or its promoters must have experience in either:
* Successfully undertaking and completing at least one infrastructure project of more than 1000 crores rupees in the preceding 5 years through their own or a Joint Venture;
* OR
* Successfully building and operating a hydrocarbon project of more than 600 crores in the preceding 5 years, through their own or a Joint Venture.
* **Storage Capacity:** Entities seeking registration to operate an LNG terminal must have a credible plan for maintaining storage capacity for LNG, with this capacity being 10% higher than the daily operational requirements for re-gas activity. The capacity stored shall be made available as per the directions of the Central Government as and when desired.
* **Existing Terminals:** Entities operating an LNG Terminal before the establishment of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Act, shall furnish the details of all such LNG terminals being in operation before the appointed date to the Board in such form and manner as prescribed by Regulation.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholders:** Entities Desirous of Establishing or Operating LNG Terminals
* **Impact:** These entities will need to meet the new eligibility criteria to be registered for establishing or operating liquefied natural gas terminals.
* **Action Required:** Review the new eligibility conditions and ensure compliance before applying for registration. Additionally, existing LNG terminals must provide necessary details to the Board as required.
**Stakeholders:** Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
* **Impact:** The board will now register the entities desirous of establishing or operating the liquefied natural gas terminals in line with the ammended rules.
* **Action Required:** Enforce the revised eligibility criteria and establish procedures for receiving and processing applications from LNG terminal operators.
**Stakeholders:** Central Government
* **Impact:** Greater discretion of capacity stored.
* **Action Required:** Direct the directions of capacity stored as and when desired.
Key Entities Referenced
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012: The original rules being amended by this public notice and draft amendments.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006: The Act that empowers the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board: The regulatory body responsible for registering entities that establish or operate liquefied natural gas terminals.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas: The Ministry proposing the amendments to the rules.
Public Consultation Documents
File No. L-16013/4/2025-GP-I (E:54163)
Government of India
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
***
Kartavya Bhawan-03, New Delhi.
Dated: 24th October, 2025.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Sub: Public Consultation on proposed Amendments to Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
(Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012.
It is to inform that this Ministry intends to amend the rules pertaining to Eligibility Conditions
for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal. Accordingly, draft Amendments to Petroleum and
Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal)
Rules, 2012 has been prepared. A copy of the same is attached herewith.
2. In this regard, all the stakeholders are requested to furnish comments, if any, within 30 days of
issue of this communication on sogp2.png@nic.in.DRAFT
[TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA, EXTRAORDINARY, PART II,
SECTION 3, SUB-SECTION (iii)]
Government of India
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas
Notification
G S R ...............(E)- Whereas the growing energy needs and demand for natural gas in country
necessitates the expansion of liquefied natural gas terminals in view of the limited domestic gas
production;
And whereas to protect consumer interests, liquefied natural gas terminals must be
subject to commercial transparency and committed to provide capacity to any consumer who
desires to import gas into the country;
And whereas there is a need to ensure a balance between freedoms to operate such
liquefied natural gas terminals, as well as equitable access and transparency in their operations
in the larger public interest, so as to foster higher availability of liquefied natural gas in the
country;
And whereas clause (b) of section 11 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory
Board Act, 2006 (19 or 2006) empowers the Board to register the entities desirous of
establishing or operating the liquefied natural gas terminals;
And whereas sub-section (1) of section 15 of the said Act envisages that the entities,
desirous of establishing or operating liquefied natural gas terminals, need to fulfil the eligibility
conditions before making an application to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board for
their registration under the said Act;
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (l) of section 15
read with clause (e) of sub-section (2) of section 60 of the said Act, the Central Government
hereby amends the following rules, namely:-
Short title, application and commencement: - (1) These Rules may be called the Petroleum
and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural
Gas Terminal) (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
(2) These rules shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.DRAFT
2. Definitions - In these rules, unless the. context otherwise requires,
a. "Act" means the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006:
b. "Board" means the Petroleum and Natural Gay Regulatory Board defined in clause (f) of
section 2 and established under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Act;
c. All other words and expressions used in these rules and not defined, but defined in the
Act, shall have the meanings, respectively, assigned to them in the Act.
3. Eligibility conditions for registration: - (I) Any entity desirous of establishing or
operating a liquefied natural gas terminal for import of LNG after the date of establishment of
the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Act,
shall be eligible to make an application for registration to the Board, only on fulfilment of the
following conditions, namely:-
(a) entity or its parent company or its promoters has a minimum net worth of Rs 1500 crores or
more in each of the preceding 3 financial years as per the audited financial statements;
and
(b) The entity or its parent company or its promoters shall have experience in either of the
following –
(i) entity on its own or a through Joint Venture has successfully undertaken and completed
at least one infrastructure project of more than 1000 crores rupees in preceding 5 years;
or
(ii) entity on its own or through a Joint Venture has successfully built and operated a
hydrocarbon project of more than 600 crores in the preceding 5 years.
Provided that an entity seeking registration to operate LNG terminal in addition to the conditions
prescribed at (a) and (b) shall also have a credible plan for maintaining the storage capacity for
LNG. This storage capacity shall be ten percent higher than the requirement for day to day
operations of the terminal pertaining to re-gas activity. Further, the capacity stored shall be made
available as per the directions of the Central Government as and when desired.
Further, provided that any entity operating an LNG Terminal before the establishment of the
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Act, shall
furnish the details of all such LNG terminals being in operation before the appointed date to the
Board in such form and manner as prescribed by Regulation.
****