**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is initiating a public consultation regarding proposed amendments to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012. These amendments, titled "Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) (Amendment) Rules, 2025," will come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. Stakeholders are invited to provide comments within 30 days of the issue date of the public notice, which is October 24th, 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Amendments Overview:** The document proposes amendments to the rules governing eligibility conditions for the registration of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals.
* **Definitions:**
* "Act" refers to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006.
* "Board" refers to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board.
* **Eligibility Conditions for Registration:**
* Entities seeking to establish or operate an LNG terminal for import after the establishment of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board must meet specific eligibility conditions.
* 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.
* 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 via own effort or through a Joint Venture.
* Successfully building and operating a hydrocarbon project of more than 600 crores rupees in the preceding 5 years via own effort or through a Joint Venture.
* Entities seeking registration to operate LNG terminals must also have a credible plan for maintaining the storage capacity for LNG that is ten percent higher than the requirement for day-to-day operations, with capacity availability as directed by the Central Government.
* Entities operating an LNG Terminal before the establishment of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board must furnish details of all such LNG terminals to the Board before the appointed date in the prescribed form and manner.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholders: Entities Desirous of Establishing or Operating LNG Terminals**
* **Impact**: They must comply with the amended eligibility conditions to register their LNG terminals.
* **Action Required**: Assess their current status against the new eligibility criteria and prepare any necessary documentation to demonstrate compliance and furnish details of existing terminals to the Board.
**Stakeholders: Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board**
* **Impact**: The Board is empowered to register entities that meet the revised eligibility conditions.
* **Action Required**: Prepare to receive and process registration applications based on the new eligibility conditions.
**Stakeholders: Central Government**
* **Impact**: The central government retains the power to direct how the capacity stored shall be made available.
* **Action Required**: Provide direction on how the storage capacity shall be made available, when desired.
**Stakeholders: Entities operating an LNG Terminal before the establishment of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board**
* **Impact**: Must furnish details of all such LNG terminals to the Board before the appointed date in the prescribed form and manner.
* **Action Required**: Furnish details of all LNG Terminals being in operation before the appointed date to the Board in such form and manner as prescribed by Regulation.
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 concerning the eligibility conditions for registration of liquefied natural gas terminals.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006: The Act that establishes the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board and provides the basis for the rules being amended.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board: The regulatory body responsible for overseeing the petroleum and natural gas sector.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas: The ministry responsible for administering the rules related to the petroleum and natural gas sector.
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.
****