Gas Authority Of India Targets Net-Zero Emissions By 2040: Chairman Manoj Jain

New Delhi: The Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), the nation’s largest gas firm, is targeting net-zero carbon emission from its operations by 2040, ahead of targets by other state-owned firms, chairman Manoj Jain said on Friday (August 26). Net zero, or becoming carbon neutral, means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. India, the world’s fourth biggest emitter of carbon dioxide after China, the US and the EU, has committed to cut its emissions to net zero by 2070.

And GAIL’s target for 2040 is a step in aiding that. At the firm’s annual shareholders’ meeting, Mr Jain said,

GAIL is committed to reduce its carbon footprint by diversifying into the renewable energy sector.

In line with India’s vision to achieve net zero by 2070, GAIL has completed a comprehensive study on science-based net-zero ambition and intends to achieve a 100 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and a 35 per cent reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2040″.

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Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Thursday announced a Rs 2 lakh crore investment to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2046.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 is a way of categorising the different kinds of carbon emissions a company creates in its own operations, and in its wider value chain.

While Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse (GHG) emissions that occur from sources that are controlled or owned by an organization (e.g., emissions associated with fuel combustion in boilers, furnaces, vehicles), Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.

Scope 3 emissions are ones that the organisation is indirectly responsible for, such as those of suppliers and customers of its products.

Most companies, including IOC, have announced net-zero targets for Scope 1 and 2 emissions only.
Jain said GAIL is taking steps to get a foothold in the transformational changes happening in the global energy sector.

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The nation’s largest transporter and marketer of gas has started mixing hydrogen in natural gas as a step towards introducing the carbon-free energy source in the system, he said.

Mr. Jain said,

The hydrogen blended natural gas is being supplied to Aavantika Gas Ltd, a joint venture of GAIL and HPCL, operating a city gas network in Indore. This project marks the stepping stone of India’s journey towards a hydrogen-based and carbon-neutral future. It has also embarked upon alternate energies like green hydrogen, renewables and bio-fuels projects which are of national importance and would likely provide a transition to the future.

GAIL is setting up a green hydrogen production unit with a capacity of 4.3 tonnes per day at Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh. It is also setting up a 10 MW ground-mounted solar power project at Vijaipur.
Stating that GAIL has always been committed to the growth of a gas-based economy in India, he said this project will prove to be a significant step in India’s march towards achieving a carbon-neutral and self-reliant future.

The Chairman said global events during the previous year have the potential to alter the structural landscape of the energy sector.

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The fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, witnessed extreme volatility in prices. “Adding to it, as COVID-19 restrictions around much of the world are relaxed and economic activity recovers, energy consumption is expanding sharply, putting available energy supplies under strain and highlighting fragilities in the system,” he said.

GAIL, he said, is adding nearly 5,000 kilometers of gas transportation pipeline to its network of about 14,500 km of truck lines crisscrossing the country.

The new lines will “bolster transmission quantities and provide extensive geographical reach within the country,” he added.

Further, GAIL is looking for avenues to supply gas in new segments like LNG trucking.
GAIL plans to enter into distributed LNG production with the vision to cater to the demand from off-grid locations and the transport sector, he added.

The company is scouting for gas globally to consolidate its portfolio which consists of 14 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) sourced from nations from the US to Australia.

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NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.