Concept:
- Natural gas can be judged against coal, the fuel it usually replaces, on four counts: what it does, how clean it is, whether it is available, and whether it can be delivered.
- It scores on all four, which is why it is called the fuel of this century.
Step 1: What it does that coal cannot.
Coal is only a fuel. Natural gas is a fuel
and a raw material for the petrochemical industry, feeding the manufacture of fertilisers, plastics and chemicals.
One input therefore serves two purposes inside the same factory.
Step 2: How clean it is.
Natural gas is an environment friendly fuel because of its low carbon dioxide emissions. It leaves no ash and very little smoke, so plants using it face lower pollution control costs and less trouble with disposal.
Step 3: Whether India actually has it.
Large reserves exist in the Krishna Godavari basin. On the western side, Mumbai High and the allied fields are supplemented by finds in the Gulf of Khambhat, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands hold further reserves.
The resource is therefore domestic and not wholly dependent on imports.
Step 4: Whether it can be delivered where industry needs it.
A gas field is useless without a pipeline. The 1700 km Hazira Vijaipur Jagdishpur pipeline connects Mumbai High and Bassein with the fertiliser, power and industrial complexes of western and northern India, so the gas reaches the plants that want it.
Step 5: Why demand keeps growing.
Beyond factories, compressed natural gas is replacing liquid fuels in vehicles across the country. A larger market makes further investment in exploration and pipelines worthwhile, which in turn secures supply for industry.
Final Answer: Natural gas is significant for industry because it works as both fuel and feedstock, pollutes far less than coal, is available in large domestic reserves, and is carried to the industrial belt by a pipeline network, while rising use as CNG keeps the whole system growing.