# GAIL opposes IGX platform for LNG terminal capacity booking 2026-08-26T23:26:28+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet India's top natural gas marketer GAIL has opposed the Indian Gas Exchange's (IGX) proposed platform for booking capacity at LNG import terminals, calling it an unnecessary cost layer for consumers. GAIL said in a submission to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board that existing frameworks do not need a separate booking platform, and that downstream gas consumers are already under margin pressure from high and volatile global LNG spot prices. GAIL, which operates an LNG terminal on India's western coast, argued that information asymmetry has not been a significant barrier to terminal users and that no major inefficiencies exist under the current system. Over half of India's 57.5 million tonnes per annum LNG regasification capacity remains underutilised due to weak domestic demand, and GAIL said a booking platform is unlikely to meaningfully increase utilisation. The PNGRB is consulting stakeholders on IGX's proposal. ## Indian Opinion Analysis IGX launched in 2021 as India's first automated gas trading platform, modelled on power exchanges, but its volumes remain tiny relative to the country's 57.5 mtpa regasification capacity. The PNGRB consultation pits the exchange's push for deeper intermediation against GAIL's claim that terminal booking works fine bilaterally. GAIL controls a third of India's gas-marketing share and runs the Dabhol terminal on the west coast, so its objection carries weight. A binding PNGRB order, expected by end-2026, will decide whether a separate capacity-booking layer becomes mandatory or optional. If mandated, the cost would pass directly to industrial users already squeezed by spot prices above $12 per mmBtu. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com Leads with GAIL's opposition with no counterbalance from IGX or the regulator, framing the move as purely cost-adding. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: GAIL, IGX, LNG, natural gas, PNGRB Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/gail-opposes-igx-platform-for-lng-terminal-capacity-booking/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/gail-opposes-igx-platform-for-lng-terminal-capacity-booking/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/