India’s LNG imports rose by 9.2 percent in May from the same month last year when Covid-19 lockdown restrictions halted economic activity and pushed down demand.
However, India’s demand for LNG dropped in May this year as well as lockdowns to curb the second deadly wave of Covid-19 hit industrial activities and consumption.
Last month, LNG imports reached 2.57 billion cubic meters or about 1.90 million tonnes while the price tag totaled about $0.8 billion in May, data from the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell shows.
Compared to the previous month, LNG imports dropped about 2.6 percent.
March LNG imports increased slightly while January and February marked a drop year-on-year.
At the moment, India imports LNG via six facilities with a combined capacity of 42.5 million tonnes.
Petronet LNG’s 17.5 mtpa Dahej terminal operated at 80.2 percent capacity while Shell’s 5 mtpa Hazira terminal operated at 36.9 percent capacity in April, the PPAC data shows.
The country will also soon start importing LNG via H-Energy’s facility in Jaigarh following the arrival of the FSRU Hoegh Giant.