India plans to push LNG for trucking in bid to curb emissions

India is looking to liquefied natural gas to reduce pollution from its trucking industry.

The Oil Ministry plans to encourage the conversion of a third of existing long-haul trucks to the super-chilled gas from diesel, according to a draft policy. It also plans to mandate that a third of new trucks run on LNG.

A targeted approach will help clean the air, as LNG emissions are about a quarter below those of diesel, the ministry said. The world’s most populous nation is also one of the most polluted, and the transport sector accounts for almost 15% of its energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

The move is similar to what’s happening in neighboring China, where LNG trucks now account for about a fifth of total new sales in the segment, according to BloombergNEF. Measures to speed the transition could include incentives to convert vehicles, reducing some road tolls and giving preference to LNG trucks for transport contracts, the ministry said.

The shift would also help meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target to boost the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15% by 2030 from 6%.