**Executive Summary**
This public notice from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas announces a public consultation on proposed amendments to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012. Stakeholders are invited to provide comments on the draft amendments within 30 days of the notice (dated October 24th, 2025). The amendments will be known 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:** Amends the existing rules regarding eligibility conditions for registering Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals.
* **Effective Date:** The new 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 as defined by the Act.
* **Eligibility Conditions for Registration:**
* Applicable to entities establishing or operating an LNG terminal for import after the establishment of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board.
* **Financial Requirement:** 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 Requirement:** The entity, its parent company, or its promoters must have experience in either of the following:
* Successfully undertaken and completed at least one infrastructure project of more than Rs 1000 crores in the preceding 5 years, either independently or through a Joint Venture.
* Successfully built and operated a hydrocarbon project of more than Rs 600 crores in the preceding 5 years, either independently or through a Joint Venture.
* **LNG Storage Capacity:** Entities seeking registration to operate an LNG terminal must have a plan for maintaining storage capacity for LNG, which must be 10% higher than the daily operational requirement for re-gas activity. This capacity must be made available as directed by the Central Government.
* **Existing LNG Terminals:** Any entity operating an LNG Terminal before the establishment of the Board must furnish details of all operational LNG terminals to the Board as prescribed by regulation.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Entities establishing or operating LNG terminals**
* **Impact:** New financial and experience criteria for registration, and specific LNG storage requirements.
* **Action Required:** Review current operations and future plans against the new eligibility conditions; if operating before the board was established, furnish details on operating LNG terminals to the board.
**Stakeholder: Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board**
* **Impact:** Responsibility to register eligible LNG terminals based on the new criteria.
* **Action Required:** Define the format and manner to furnish the details of all such LNG terminals being in operation before the appointed date to the Board.
**Stakeholder: Central Government**
* **Impact:** Authority to direct the use of stored LNG capacity.
* **Action Required:** Provide directions as and when needed.
**Stakeholder: General Public/Consumers**
* **Impact:** Potentially increased availability of natural gas due to more regulated and transparent operation of LNG terminals.
* **Action Required:** No direct action required.
Key Entities Referenced
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) (Amendment) Rules, 2025: Proposed amendments to the rules concerning eligibility conditions for registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminals.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006: The principal act that the proposed rule amendments refer to and partially depend on for their authority.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas: The ministry responsible for proposing the amendments to the rules.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012: The original rules being amended by the current document.
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.
****