**Executive Summary**
This document is a public notice regarding proposed amendments to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is seeking comments from stakeholders on these draft amendments, with a deadline of 30 days from the issue date of October 24th, 2025. The proposed amendments are referred to as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Purpose:** To amend the rules pertaining to Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminals.
* **Short Title:** The amendments are named the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
* **Commencement:** The Rules shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
* **Definitions:**
* "Act" means the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006.
* "Board" means the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board.
* Other terms defined in the Act will have the meanings assigned to them in the Act.
* **Eligibility Conditions for Registration:**
* Any entity establishing/operating an LNG terminal for import of LNG after the establishment of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board is eligible to apply for registration, subject to the following conditions:
* Minimum net worth of Rs 1500 crores or more for the entity, parent company, or promoters, in each of the preceding 3 financial years.
* Experience requirement for the entity, parent company, or promoters:
* Successful completion of an infrastructure project worth more than Rs 1000 crores in the preceding 5 years through its own entity or through a Joint Venture; OR
* Successful building and operation of a hydrocarbon project worth more than Rs 600 crores in the preceding 5 years through its own entity or through a Joint Venture.
* **LNG Terminal Operation Requirements:** Entities seeking registration to operate LNG terminals must have a credible plan for maintaining storage capacity for LNG.
* Storage capacity shall be ten percent higher than the requirement for day to day operations.
* The capacity stored shall be made available as per the directions of the Central Government.
* Entities operating an LNG Terminal before the establishment of the Board, must furnish details of all such LNG terminals in operation before the appointed date.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholders:** Entities Desirous of Establishing or Operating LNG Terminals
**Impact:**
The eligibility criteria for registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminals have been amended, potentially affecting the ability of certain entities to establish or operate such terminals. The changes to net worth, experience, and LNG storage requirements will impact the financial and operational planning of potential applicants.
**Action Required:**
Stakeholders should review the draft amendments and furnish their comments to sogp2.png@nic.in within 30 days of the issue date (October 24th, 2025). Entities operating an LNG Terminal before the establishment of the Board, must furnish details of all such LNG terminals in operation before the appointed date.
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 regarding eligibility conditions for registration of LNG terminals.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) (Amendment) Rules, 2025: Proposed amendments to existing rules concerning eligibility conditions for registration of liquefied natural gas terminals.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas: The ministry proposing the amendments to the rules.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006: The Act that empowers the Board to register entities operating LNG terminals.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board: The regulatory body responsible for overseeing the natural gas sector and registration of LNG terminals.
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.
****