Prabhat Singh: IITian Who Placed India On The World Gas Map
Prabhat Singh
Director
"We also used to scoldour professors in our little chats and ridicule our curriculum like any other college student, but iit kanpur has given us this back ground and we owe everything to the institute'
An IIT Kanpur alumnus who completed his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the institute in 1980 and received the ‘Distinguished Alumnus Award' for his contributions in 2016, Prabhat Singh boasts more than four decades of experience in the energy industry. In his previous role with Petronet LNG, he was the MD & CEO. He has previously held leadership positions across various organizations including MD CEO at Petronet LNG, Director Marketing at GAIL India, Director BD & Strategy at BGEPIL & GGCL (a British Gas subsidiary), Chairman Ratnagiri Gas & Power, and Chairman of GAIL Global Singapore Pte Ltd. He has also been a member of National Auto Fuel Policy of MoPNG & member of the Governing body of Rajeev Gandhi Institute of Petroleum and Technology, Rai Bareilly. Furthermore, Prabhat has also been instrumental in ushering the 'Open Access Common Carrier Principle' in India, besides being one of the core contributors to the concept of gas pooling for the power & fertilizer sector,which is under successful implemen tation.
I recently got in touch with and he was happy to reminisce about his IIT life and the illustrious professional journey that followed. It was a pleasant and engaging conversation. Below are the highlights of the exclusive interview.
Tell us about your life at IIT Kanpur. What have been the experiences that you had and also how those experiences had an impact on your life and career?
In truth, getting into an IIT itself is a great experience. And when it comes to IIT Kanpur, the institute radically helped me with comprehensive development. In fact, it's quite a certain outcome with the way we were in an environment of competition with some of the bright students who come from all walks of life, and all parts of the nation. IIT creates a platform to have a fair and extremely healthy competition. It actually gives you a huge confidence that you are kind of mentally prepared for thechallenges in the real world, including the business landscape. It's also unique the way we are taught about the problems and solutions. We were taught that there were multiple ways in which you can actually address a problem and come up with a solution.
I will tell you an example. When I started my academic journey in IIT Kanpur, hailing from a small town in Lucknow the conventional pedagogy and smart classroom concept were really new to me. I still remember this lecture wherein our professor was explaining the concept of frame of reference with some video assistance. Suddenly, we found that there was a guy in the video who passed the screen completely upside down. It was only for a flash, and hence we thought that this might be due to some kind of faulty recording. But it happened several times and after sometime, it hit us that the guy who was talking to us (in the video) the whole time was the one who was really hanging upside down, and the one who we thought was passing the screen upside down was really in the normal position. Result? We never forgot the concept of frame of reference.
Now, I will also tell you an example of how such things create an impact in your life. I still remember when I was in the ministry of petroleum, the director I used to report to changed suddenly and a new director took charge. On the very first day, the new director was faced with a herculean challenge a presentation needed to be prepared and presented in front of the cabinet secretary at around 10:30 AM the very next morning. I was summoned, as people who knew me out there believed that I could come up with an out of the box solution. It was around 5:00 PM when I reached there, and within an hour, the Joint Secretary also arrived. But as soon as he came to know about the situation, he started shouting at this poor director and passed a conclusion that the program needs to be cancelled and the Secretary needs to be informed, since there was no time left to prepare the presentation.
We were all quiet for some time. But all I could think was how low this new director must be feeling right now. So, I made a statement. And this is the frame of reference I'm talking about I said, "Look, why are we saying that we can't make the presentation? Can we not make a
presentation with two working days with us?" The Joint Secretary was quick to point out the obvious fact that it's already evening and the presentation is tomorrow at 10:30 AM. I continued, "I hear you. But the point is that we have 16 hours, which is equal to two working days."Long story short,with our collective effort, the presentation with 35 slides was ready by 9.30 AM and the whole situation ended up with the secretary praising the new director. These are very small things in life, yes, but it's your learnings that help you have a different perspective amidst difficult situations.
We also used to scold our professors in our little chats and ridicule our curriculum like any other college student, but IIT Kanpur has given us this back ground and we owe every thing to the institute. The confidence of being taken seriously, while talking about whatever idea you want to project in any forum, is also a priceless aspect. I completed my BTech From IIT Kanpur In 1980, And I Still Enjoy The Royalty.
IITs are also famous for their Alumni Association. How has been your experience with the peer groups and the whole alumni ecosystem after college?
It's always the go-to group for any of us. Be it any where in the globe, whenever I have faced a problem or any of my family members faced a problem, there has always been somebody from the batch to help me. I will tell you about one such incident. A few years earlier, this young couple from my wife's friend's family went to Spain and unfortunately, somebody stole their belongings, including passports. My wife asked me if I knew somebody there who could help and I finally found an IITian friend, Aseem. I will never forget what Aseem did for me he went in pursuit of those kids and brought them back to Madrid from a suburban area. Since getting a new passport took around 10 days Aseem checked them in a Hotel and spent around $1500 for these kids, without even acknowledging it as a burden.After they reached home safely he only let them pay the money back after they insisted on it. So that is the kind of friendship and ecosystem I am talking about.
In the light of your more than four decades of experience in the industry, how would you reflect on the current transfor mations happening in the industry? How do you perceive this evolution?
As per my fundamental observation, when I entered into the industry, IC Engines were reigning supremely and at that time, oil was the master. Back then, no one was really talking about pollution or global warming. While exploiting the environment was not anyone's personal choice and then again nobody was particularly biosphere sensitive.Today environmental degradation has emerged as a global problem and we are only to be blamed for this.
At present, people are feeling bothered to address this environmental/biosphere shift. Now people are more inclined towards cleaner fuels. Gas is one option when it comes to cleaner fuels apart from solar, thermal biogas, geothermal and so on. We have shifted from coal to oil previously and now from oil we are planning to move towards renewables, but to determine the course of this transition is the real challenge for us. The challenge is to survive 'now'and at the same time introduce novel technologies for the future.
In other words, to shape the future, we have to manage the present. PM Narendra Modi has envisioned bringing major inno vation in this sector by 2070 i.e. 50 years from now. Under this scheme, two major cycles will be imposed consisting of 25-year tenures and new projects will also be included which will also help us achieve this goal at a faster rate.
I would like to quote an instance here. Recently,while LNG was evaluating Andaman, I expressed my intentions to the Lt. Governor about adopting Andaman and making it green within 25 years. I was willing to implement an LNG terminal instead of diesel which was so heavily used in Andaman. LNG will be much cheaper and gas will be available to everyone both at a domestic level and public level. But the project was put on hold as everyone was talking about renewable energy and they started researching implementing solar and wind energy. After heavy research, it was, at last, concluded that they need to have a backup for the night as well as a non windy day. Of course, they can use a battery for backup and the project remained on the table for a long time. And now after three years, they have approved anLNG plant for backup to avoid a complete blackout.
My 40 years of experience say ‘Perfect is the enemy of good'. You might have a perfect solution for tomorrow, but you have a good solution at hand now and you need to go for it. LNG is quite cheaper, but we are not using it because everyone is obsessed with renewable energy. So, my advice is to plan this fuel transition well and prepare yourself accordingly.
Pertaining to the ongoing demand for non-renewable fuels,what are the projects in the pipeline for IGS?
The confidence of being taken seriously, while talking about whatever idea you want to project in any forum, is also a priceless aspect. I completed my btech from iit kanpur in 1980 and i still enjoy the royalty
We also used to scold our professors in our little chats and ridicule our curriculum like any other college student, but IIT Kanpur has given us this back ground and we owe every thing to the institute. The confidence of being taken seriously, while talking about whatever idea you want to project in any forum, is also a priceless aspect. I completed my BTech From IIT Kanpur In 1980, And I Still Enjoy The Royalty.
IITs are also famous for their Alumni Association. How has been your experience with the peer groups and the whole alumni ecosystem after college?
It's always the go-to group for any of us. Be it any where in the globe, whenever I have faced a problem or any of my family members faced a problem, there has always been somebody from the batch to help me. I will tell you about one such incident. A few years earlier, this young couple from my wife's friend's family went to Spain and unfortunately, somebody stole their belongings, including passports. My wife asked me if I knew somebody there who could help and I finally found an IITian friend, Aseem. I will never forget what Aseem did for me he went in pursuit of those kids and brought them back to Madrid from a suburban area. Since getting a new passport took around 10 days Aseem checked them in a Hotel and spent around $1500 for these kids, without even acknowledging it as a burden.After they reached home safely he only let them pay the money back after they insisted on it. So that is the kind of friendship and ecosystem I am talking about.
In the light of your more than four decades of experience in the industry, how would you reflect on the current transfor mations happening in the industry? How do you perceive this evolution?
As per my fundamental observation, when I entered into the industry, IC Engines were reigning supremely and at that time, oil was the master. Back then, no one was really talking about pollution or global warming. While exploiting the environment was not anyone's personal choice and then again nobody was particularly biosphere sensitive.Today environmental degradation has emerged as a global problem and we are only to be blamed for this.
At present, people are feeling bothered to address this environmental/biosphere shift. Now people are more inclined towards cleaner fuels. Gas is one option when it comes to cleaner fuels apart from solar, thermal biogas, geothermal and so on. We have shifted from coal to oil previously and now from oil we are planning to move towards renewables, but to determine the course of this transition is the real challenge for us. The challenge is to survive 'now'and at the same time introduce novel technologies for the future.
In other words, to shape the future, we have to manage the present. PM Narendra Modi has envisioned bringing major inno vation in this sector by 2070 i.e. 50 years from now. Under this scheme, two major cycles will be imposed consisting of 25-year tenures and new projects will also be included which will also help us achieve this goal at a faster rate.
I would like to quote an instance here. Recently,while LNG was evaluating Andaman, I expressed my intentions to the Lt. Governor about adopting Andaman and making it green within 25 years. I was willing to implement an LNG terminal instead of diesel which was so heavily used in Andaman. LNG will be much cheaper and gas will be available to everyone both at a domestic level and public level. But the project was put on hold as everyone was talking about renewable energy and they started researching implementing solar and wind energy. After heavy research, it was, at last, concluded that they need to have a backup for the night as well as a non windy day. Of course, they can use a battery for backup and the project remained on the table for a long time. And now after three years, they have approved anLNG plant for backup to avoid a complete blackout.
My 40 years of experience say ‘Perfect is the enemy of good'. You might have a perfect solution for tomorrow, but you have a good solution at hand now and you need to go for it. LNG is quite cheaper, but we are not using it because everyone is obsessed with renewable energy. So, my advice is to plan this fuel transition well and prepare yourself accordingly.
Pertaining to the ongoing demand for non-renewable fuels,what are the projects in the pipeline for IGS?
Today the Reserve to Production ratio for gas is 250 to 300. The RP Ratio is never more than 50, 60 or 75 and this is quite mind boggling. While transitioning from my generation to the next, everything energy source has taken a complete 180 degree shift. Gas is not going to be over for the next 10 generations, so to call gas non renewable is not actually fair. Yes, from my frame of reference, gas is renewable at present because that is not going to end. For example the sun has been there for billions of years and it is not going to go extinct soon, but we know that it will only last for 450 billion years more, but we call it renewable, even though we know that it will only exist for a certain period. 450 billion for me is infinity and so is the next 10-15 generations. The same concept is applicable for gas as well.
There is so much potential in gas today and this needs to be harnessed. IGS which has emerged as an agile and nimble organization has provided me with this opportunity. There are around 150 million tons of LNG terminals that could fit in here and they are waiting on the sidelines to see the investment. If it doesn't happen, then the issue is that there is an artificial scarcity that is being created, otherwise, it is only the infrastructure that is stopping the $1 of free gas coming from abroad to the Indian show. There is no doubt that gas will be available here at around $5 plus minus, which is at $36 today.
So, according to me, the role which the consumers need to play is to take everything into their hands. Developing the infrastructure, they should be able to take the volume or the gas or the oil barrel at the wellhead price and make it completely agnostic or insensitive to all the indices which are happening because the indices which are actually operational are not the true supply or demand number. These indices are bogus and actually, they are just pushing them because people are making money out of it.
And this is where, the aggregator and the traders of today, are going to have a field day. I feel that IGS has an edge, because being a small, nimble, and agile organization, it is fundamentally there in the aggregator and trader business. So, we can facilitate the incumbency of gas during the transition, and create value for the nation, till the time the solar or wind or other renewables really take over.
Given this need to consider energy needs of the present day while simultan eously future proofing the landscape, what would be your advice to the budding entrepreneurs in the segment? How can they contribute?
My advice for the current generation is that you always have to be on your toes. You need to reinvent yourself, say every two years. If you take a look at Moore's law which was predicted in 1965, it states that every two years, the size of the chip will become half, and the capacity to basically store things would becomedouble. The recent Intel A14 processor hosts 12 billion transistors on a die of 88 milli meter square. Earlier the A13 chip had only eight and a half billion transistors. The law could be in its deathbed as any further upgradation to the A14 chip seems impossible but it still seems to be valid.
So, my advice to the new generation is to be ready to reinvent yourself every two years and you have to actually create competency within yourself. And till it's the time of renewables, you also need to consider the consumption end, wherein small scale LNG is a solution. Small scale LNG implies that rather than deploying huge pipelines, opening a small LNG retail outlet, wherein your CAPEX is scaled. It has multifarious benefits. For instance, when hydrogen comes in, you can replace LNG with hydrogen. So I would suggest the new entrepreneurs to put their investment into the last mile consumption but at the same time, be prepared to go into the system, learn new technologies and be ready for the transition whenever you can.
Prabhat Singh, Director, India Gas Solutions Private Ltd.
Prabhat is best known for implementing the iconic Jamnagar Loni LPG pipeline, which is the world's largest and India's first cross country LPG pipeline. The current Director of India Gas Solutions Private Ltd, he is a visionary leader in the hydrocarbon sectorand is widely recognized for placing India on the world gas map.
Hobbies:He loves playing badminton, a hobby he picked up from his childhood, and he also loves watching movies and television series. He has a lot of interest in farming as well. Prabhat has a farmhouse in his home town and attends regular agricultural seminars and knowledge acquisition sessions along with his farmhouse manager.
Favorite Television Series: Black Mirror. He says "Black Mirror is a television series I happened to watch recently and I was really hooked. It deals with a kind of dark side of technology advantage that we possess. The story is set in a dystopian future, where people struggle with the manipulative effects of cutting edge technology in their personal lives and behaviors."
Favorite Food: He loves non-vegetarian food
Favorite Travel Destination: Singapore
There is so much potential in gas today and this needs to be harnessed. IGS which has emerged as an agile and nimble organization has provided me with this opportunity. There are around 150 million tons of LNG terminals that could fit in here and they are waiting on the sidelines to see the investment. If it doesn't happen, then the issue is that there is an artificial scarcity that is being created, otherwise, it is only the infrastructure that is stopping the $1 of free gas coming from abroad to the Indian show. There is no doubt that gas will be available here at around $5 plus minus, which is at $36 today.
So, according to me, the role which the consumers need to play is to take everything into their hands. Developing the infrastructure, they should be able to take the volume or the gas or the oil barrel at the wellhead price and make it completely agnostic or insensitive to all the indices which are happening because the indices which are actually operational are not the true supply or demand number. These indices are bogus and actually, they are just pushing them because people are making money out of it.
And this is where, the aggregator and the traders of today, are going to have a field day. I feel that IGS has an edge, because being a small, nimble, and agile organization, it is fundamentally there in the aggregator and trader business. So, we can facilitate the incumbency of gas during the transition, and create value for the nation, till the time the solar or wind or other renewables really take over.
Given this need to consider energy needs of the present day while simultan eously future proofing the landscape, what would be your advice to the budding entrepreneurs in the segment? How can they contribute?
My advice for the current generation is that you always have to be on your toes. You need to reinvent yourself, say every two years. If you take a look at Moore's law which was predicted in 1965, it states that every two years, the size of the chip will become half, and the capacity to basically store things would becomedouble. The recent Intel A14 processor hosts 12 billion transistors on a die of 88 milli meter square. Earlier the A13 chip had only eight and a half billion transistors. The law could be in its deathbed as any further upgradation to the A14 chip seems impossible but it still seems to be valid.
So, my advice to the new generation is to be ready to reinvent yourself every two years and you have to actually create competency within yourself. And till it's the time of renewables, you also need to consider the consumption end, wherein small scale LNG is a solution. Small scale LNG implies that rather than deploying huge pipelines, opening a small LNG retail outlet, wherein your CAPEX is scaled. It has multifarious benefits. For instance, when hydrogen comes in, you can replace LNG with hydrogen. So I would suggest the new entrepreneurs to put their investment into the last mile consumption but at the same time, be prepared to go into the system, learn new technologies and be ready for the transition whenever you can.
Prabhat Singh, Director, India Gas Solutions Private Ltd.
Prabhat is best known for implementing the iconic Jamnagar Loni LPG pipeline, which is the world's largest and India's first cross country LPG pipeline. The current Director of India Gas Solutions Private Ltd, he is a visionary leader in the hydrocarbon sectorand is widely recognized for placing India on the world gas map.
Hobbies:He loves playing badminton, a hobby he picked up from his childhood, and he also loves watching movies and television series. He has a lot of interest in farming as well. Prabhat has a farmhouse in his home town and attends regular agricultural seminars and knowledge acquisition sessions along with his farmhouse manager.
Favorite Television Series: Black Mirror. He says "Black Mirror is a television series I happened to watch recently and I was really hooked. It deals with a kind of dark side of technology advantage that we possess. The story is set in a dystopian future, where people struggle with the manipulative effects of cutting edge technology in their personal lives and behaviors."
Favorite Food: He loves non-vegetarian food
Favorite Travel Destination: Singapore