Natural gas import bill up 8.7% in Apr-May

INDIA'S NATURAL GAS import bill rose 8.7% to $2.5 billion during the first two months of financial year 2025-26, compared with $2.3 billion in the same period of FY24, according to data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC).

- Arunima Bharadwaj

The country imported 5,953 million standard cubic meters (mmscm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) during the period, reflecting a marginal 1% decline over April-May of FY24.

In May, the import bill, however, declined by 14.3% to $1.2 billion, compared to May 2024. May volumes also registered a fall of 15.3% to 2,977 mmscm last month.

Even as the country's natural gas consumption declined by almost 2% to 11,764 mmscm during April-May, India's reliance on imported gas rose to 50.6%, up from 50.2% in the same period last fiscal.

Domestic natural gas production too declined marginally by 3% to 5,888 mmscm during April-May of FY25. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) produced 3,056 mmscm of natural gas during this period, down from 3,132 mmscm in the corresponding period of FY24. Production remained below targets, highlighting the widening gap between demand and domestic supply.