Sanjay Kumar, GAIL (India) Ltd's Director (Marketing), has been selected as the next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Petronet LNG Ltd. He will take charge on May 13, 2027, after the extended tenure of incumbent CEO A K Singh comes to an end.
The appointment was approved by Petronet LNG's board at a meeting held on October 2, according to a regulatory filing. Kumar, 59, will serve a five-year term.
Over 35 years in the gas industry
Kumar has been GAIL's Director (Marketing) since June 2023. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur as well as an MBA.
His career spans more than 35 years across different segments of the natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. His experience includes work across the gas value chain, which will be relevant as Petronet expands its infrastructure and operations.
Petronet LNG is India's largest LNG importer and is backed by four major state-owned energy companies. Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation each hold a 12.5 per cent stake in the company.
Petronet's LNG infrastructure
Petronet operates the country's largest LNG import terminal at Dahej in Gujarat and another facility at Kochi in Kerala. The two terminals have a combined regasification capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MMTPA).
Dahej accounts for 22.5 MMTPA of the capacity, while Kochi has a capacity of 5 MMTPA. Petronet handles around 74 per cent of India's LNG imports and supplies roughly 34 per cent of the country's overall gas consumption.
The company is also working on several expansion projects as India seeks to increase the role of natural gas in its energy mix.
Expansion plans ahead
Petronet is planning to raise the regasification capacity at its Dahej terminal and develop a new greenfield LNG facility on India's east coast.
It is also pursuing a petrochemical project at Dahej. Kumar will take over as CEO as the company works on these projects and prepares for further expansion of its LNG infrastructure.