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The country imported 2.26 billion cubic meters, or about 1.8 million metric tonnes of LNG, in May via long-term contracts and spot purchases, PPAC’s monthly report shows.
PPAC said that “LNG import data for the month of May 2026 (as per Apr ’26 inputs received from LNG importing entitites reporting to PPAC) was 2266 mmscm, which was 20.97 percent lower than the corresponding month of the previous year.”
India paid $1.1 billion for May LNG imports, the same as in May last year, the data shows.
LNG terminals
India imports LNG via eight facilities with a combined capacity of about 52.7 million tonnes per year.
These include Petronet LNG’s Dahej and Kochi terminals, Shell’s Hazira terminal, as well as the Dabhol LNG, Ennore LNG, Mundra LNG, and Dhamra LNG terminals.
The newest LNG import terminal is HPCL’s 5 mtpa Chhara LNG import terminal in India’s Gujarat, which launched commercial operations in February last year.
PPAC said that during April-May 2026, the 17.5 mtpa Dahej terminal operated at 91.9 percent capacity, while the 5.2 mtpa Hazira terminal operated at 27 percent capacity.
The 5 mtpa Dhamra LNG terminal operated at 36.9 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Dabhol LNG terminal operated at 40.1 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Kochi LNG terminal operated at 26.3 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Ennore LNG terminal operated at 26.4 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Mundra LNG terminal operated at 24.1 percent capacity, and the Chhara LNG terminal operated at 10.5 percent capacity.
Force majeure
In April, India’s largest LNG importer, Petronet LNG, said in a stock exchange filing that facilities related to the expansion of its Dahej LNG terminal from 17.5 to 22.5 mtpa were commissioned on March 31.
The Dahej LNG terminal is India’s largest LNG import facility. It has eight LNG storage tanks, while Pertonet is also building a third jetty.
The launch came amid the Middle East conflict and force majeure on LNG supplies.
Petronet issued a force majeure notice on March 3 to its offtakers, including its shareholder GAIL, after it received a notice from state-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy, which stopped production at its giant Ras Laffan LNG plant due to attacks.
QatarEnergy said that it expects the damage to its Ras Laffan complex caused by missile strikes to cost about $20 billion a year in lost revenue and to take up to five years to repair, impacting supply to markets in Europe and Asia.
In March, the Indian government invoked emergency measures, prioritizing gas allocation to essential sectors amid the disruption of LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US and Iran just signed an initial agreement that includes the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to its AIS data, the 138,000-cbm LNG carrier Disha is expected to deliver a Qatari cargo to Petronet’s Dahej terminal this week after transiting the Strait of Hormuz.