Torrent Gas puts Chennai on Natural Gas Map of India with Inauguration of 25 CNG Stations by Thiru M K Stalin
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru M K Stalin today launched CNG in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts by inaugurating 25 CNG stations and 1 City Gate Station of Torrent Gas. Torrent Gas has been authorised by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for establishing and operating CGD network and providing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) in 33 Districts across 7 States and 1 UT. Chennai was the only metro in the country, where CNG and PNG were not available thus far. A mega simultaneous launch of 25 CNG stations in Chennai and Tiruvallur is a significant moment in the development of CGD infrastructure in TN, as there were only 12 CNG stations in the entire state of Tamil Nadu until now. Availability of CNG will bring great relief to private vehicle owners, auto, taxi and commercial vehicle operators, reeling under the ever-increasing prices of petrol and diesel.
While welcoming Torrent Gas to Tamil Nadu, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Thiru M K Stalin said, “Access to Compressed Natural Gas, which is a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petrol and diesel has been a felt need of the people of Tamil Nadu. Widespread availability of CNG and significant savings will encourage consumers to adopt it, thereby having a positive impact on the environment. The domestic, commercial and industrial use of Natural Gas will spur further industrial development in the State.” He assured that the State government will take steps to facilitate faster roll out of the CGD infrastructure in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Gas said “Torrent Gas has significantly strengthened its position in the CGD sector with the launch of operations in Chennai, the only metro city in the country to be authorised to a private entity. With the addition of 25 CNG stations in Chennai and Tiruvallur, Torrent now has an extensive network of 214 operational CNG stations across the country and we plan to further increase the number of operational CNG stations to 350 by 31st March 22 and 500 by 31st March 23.
He further added “We are delighted to bring CNG, which is a widely accepted clean and affordable fuel, to the citizens of Chennai and Tiruvallur. Torrent Gas is committed to making CNG widely available in Chennai and Tiruvallur and we aim to commission 50 CNG stations by September 21 and 100 CNG stations by June 22. Torrent Gas intends to make a total investment of Rs 5,000 crores in Tamil Nadu over the next 5 years towards the creation of CGD infrastructure including laying steel and PE pipelines to provide piped natural gas to domestic, industrial and commercial customers and setting up CNG stations. The project shall generate direct and indirect employment for approximately 5000 people in the state. At a national level, Torrent Gas has already invested around Rs. 1,900 crores and plans to invest around Rs. 10,000 crores over the next five years, across the country.
Torrent Gas has announced an aggressive price of Rs. 51.35/Kg for CNG, in Chennai and Tiruvallur, which is the second lowest CNG price in the country after the NCR region. At this price, adoption of CNG as a fuel will help customers in Chennai save up to 66% vis-a-vis petrol, 61% vis-à-vis diesel and 42% vis-à-vis Auto LPG. CNG prices are also much more stable as compared to those of petrol and diesel, which undergo frequent changes.
Along with launching the CNG stations, Torrent Gas has also invested deeply into building awareness about CNG as an economical and environment friendly alternative to petrol and diesel. Torrent Gas, in its efforts to promote and build an ecosystem conducive for widespread adoption of CNG has tied up with OEMs in car, auto, LGV and LCV segments, who are committed to a similar cause and bringing various promotional offers for customers. Existing petrol car users can also get their cars converted to CNG by fitting their vehicles with CNG kits from government approved retrofitters.
About Torrent Group
Torrent Group, with reven ues of Rs. 21,000 crores (U SD 3 billion) and market cap of Rs. 74,000 Crores (USD 10 Billion), has a strong pre sence in Pharmaceuticals, Power and City Gas Dist ribution (CGD) sectors. Tor rent Pharma, the flagship company of the Group, is a dominant player in the ca rdiovascular and CNS segments with global presence spread across 70 countries.Torrent Power is one of the largest private sector players in the power sector with presence across the entire power value chain – power generation, transmission and distribution. Torrent Power has an installed generation capacity of 3,879 MW and distributes power to over 3.71 million customers in 10 cities in 3 States.
About Torrent Gas
Torrent Gas, the Group’s City Gas Distribution (CGD) business, is one of the leading CGD companies in the country and has been authorised to set up CGD infrastructure and sell Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to vehicle users and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to industries and households in 33 districts across 7 States (Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab) and 1 Union Territory (Puducherry). Torrent’s authorised areas, across the country have a population of approximately 9 Crores + people, which is about 7% of the total population of India.
About CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)
CNG is now the preferred choice of smart and environmentally conscious vehicle owners. Commonly referred to as a green fuel because of its lead and sulphur-free character; CNG substantially reduces emissions thereby reducing the effect of global warming. Not only is CNG a cleaner fuel, being non-corrosive, it enhances the longevity of the engine without compromising on engine power and gives a significant improvement in fuel efficiency.
Today, most of the leading manufacturers of cars, auto rickshaws, LGVs, buses and other public transport vehicles have launched models with factory-fitted CNG engines. For existing petrol car owners, various brands of CNG kits are available in the market. There are many Government approved retrofitters who are helping conventional fuel vehicles to be fitted with CNG kits and thereby convert their existing vehicles to CNG.
