Draft Amendments to Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Eligibility Conditions for Registration of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal) Rules, 2012

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.

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