New Delhi: The Central Government approved 41 biogas cylinder filling and storage plants since March 2026 and issued licences to 14 of them, the Petroleum Ministry said on April 22, as part of a broader set of measures taken to maintain uninterrupted fuel supply amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, IANS reported.
The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) received 467 applications for compressed natural gas (CNG) and compressed biogas (CBG) dispensing stations, all of which were processed on a priority basis between March 25 and April 21. Of these, final licences were granted in 157 cases, while 38 prior approvals were issued for the construction of new CNG and CBG dispensing stations, the ministry said.
PESO also issued directions on March 20 for time-bound disposal of CNG station and decompression unit applications, setting a 10-day processing deadline to speed up infrastructure expansion. On April 1, a temporary six-month exemption from approval requirements for CNG and CBG compressors was extended to allow faster commissioning of dispensing stations.
On the kerosene front, the ministry said temporary storage relaxations were granted for Superior Kerosene Oil (SKO), permitting storage of up to 2,500 litres, with a one-time relaxation of up to 5,000 litres for Public Distribution System (PDS) kerosene to maintain last-mile distribution. Permission was also granted for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) unloading at Porbandar jetty on March 14 to ease immediate supply constraints.
To promote decentralised supply, guidelines permitting liquefied natural gas (LNG) filling in cryogenic cylinders were issued, enhancing fuel flexibility during periods of disruption. A complete export ban on ammonium nitrate was imposed on March 18 to protect domestic availability.
For transparency, PESO published a list of approved container manufacturers and their capacities for PDS kerosene and diesel supply on its website on April 1, 2026.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is also implementing a range of regulatory and facilitative steps to maintain continuity of industrial operations and supply chain stability in the face of challenges arising from the West Asia situation, the ministry added.
