Workers connect gas pipelines amidst an urban development in India.
India’s ambitious goals for expanding piped natural gas (PNG) adoption by 2030 are facing a significant hurdle: a severe shortage of the skilled workforce required for installation. Industry insiders report that the necessary labor pool for connecting households and businesses to PNG networks simply does not exist at the scale required to meet targets.
The situation is particularly acute in major metropolitan areas such as the National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. Compounding the issue, many plumbers and installers have reportedly returned to their hometowns, exacerbating the existing deficit. This exodus is partly attributed to disruptions linked to recent election activities, which have further strained the availability of essential personnel.
The lack of adequate human resources directly impacts the pace of PNG connection installations, a key metric for the government’s energy transition and clean fuel initiatives. Without a sufficient and readily available workforce, the expansion of gas infrastructure, crucial for reducing reliance on more polluting fuels, is likely to be significantly delayed.
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