Petroleum Minister releases Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for North-East

The Minister of State (IC) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today released the Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for north-east India, outlining steps to leverage the hydrocarbon sector for development of the region in Guwahati. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas (MoPNG) has consciously and constantly focused efforts towards making hydrocarbons a tool to enable social and economic development. One such initiative has been the Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for North East Region.

The Vision Document has been a focused and consultative exercise to develop a common and shared aspiration for benefiting people of the north east region. With involvement and inputs of various stakeholders, industry players and state governments, the Vision document not only includes the ambition for the region but also an actionable roadmap. CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory has been the Knowledge Partner to develop this Vision report.

The objectives of the plan are to leverage the region�s hydrocarbon potential, enhance access to clean fuels, improve availability of petroleum products, facilitate economic development and to link common people to the economic activities in this sector. The states covered include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The Ministry also undertook series of consultations with the state governments while drafting the vision document.

The Vision rests on five pillars: People, Policy, Partnership, Projects and Production. For people, it foresees clean fuel access to households alongside fostering skill development and involvement of the local community. The policy focus areas include moderation in light of specific terrain and weather conditions of the region coupled with ensuring fund planning for new projects. As for partnership, the stress is on greater involvement of state governments in planning and implementation, and on boosting trade with neighbouring nations. In projects, the focus is on pipeline connectivity for carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, and petroleum products, oil and lubricants (POL); building refineries and import links; and development of compressed natural gas (CNG) highways and city gas distribution network. The production side emphases include production enhancement contracts, technology deployment and fast-track clearance, and development of service provider hubs.

Beyond production, the focus areas include exploring hydrocarbon linkages and trade opportunities with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal & Bhutan; implementation of ‘Make In India’ in the region; development of health & medical facilities; industrial policy & infrastructure related action points; focus on skill development; and employment generation requirement in the region. The vision statement lays out a detailed roadmap for the entire hydrocarbons value chain, covering upstream, midstream and downstream segments. This report includes an action plan – of immediate, medium-term and long-term initiatives – to help achieve the objectives.

The Vision aims at doubling Oil & Gas production by 2030, making clean fuels accessible, fast tracking projects, generating employment opportunities and promoting cooperation with neighbouring countries.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Pradhan stressed upon a paradigm shift in production and utilization of hydrocarbons to catalyse growth in the North East region and to improving standard of living for the people, generating opportunities for the youth and creating a sustainable energy secure future. He added that to achieve the Vision it would call for collaborative efforts of central and state governments with the determination to bring the developmental shift the people of North East deserve. This will be a concrete step towards realizing our Prime Minister’s vision to develop the North East India in a mission mode.