India’s LPG imports increased for a second consecutive month in September, data from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas showed. According to the data, India imported 1.643 million tons of LNG in September, surging by 32.5% from August and marking the highest monthly import in at least five years. Compared to September 2019, LPG imports rose 4.5%, the data showed.
The import increase in September came even as India’s consumption fell to 2.267 million tons in September and domestic output rose to 923,000 tons. The logistical bottleneck caused the dip in India’s LPG consumption in September. However, LPG demand was 4.8% higher compared to September 2019.
Analysts expected India’s LPG consumption to reach 27.2 million tons this year, with imports expected at nearly 15.2 million tons. Meanwhile, the domestic output from refineries and gas processing plants are projected at around 12.12 million tons. For 2021, local demand is expected to be approximately 28.3 million tons, with imports in the range of 15.6 million-15.7 million tons.
