The country imported 3.04 billion cubic meters, or about 2.3 million metric tonnes, of LNG in March via long-term contracts and spot purchases.
March LNG imports were similar compared to the previous two months.
PPAC’s data previously showed that LNG imports rose in January and February compared to the previous year.
From April 2024 to March 2025, India took 36.99 bcm of LNG, or about 28.2 million metric tonnes, up by 15.4 percent compared to the same period in the year before, according to PPAC.
India paid $1.3 billion for March LNG imports, up from $1.2 billion in March 2024. The country paid $15.2 billion for LNG imports in the April-March period, up from $13.4 billion in the same period before.
Moreover, India’s natural gas production reached about 2.98 bcm in March, a drop of 4.8 percent from the corresponding month of the previous year.
Natural gas production of 36.69 bcm in April-March was down by 0.9 percent compared to the same period before, the PPAC data shows.
Eight LNG terminals
India now 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, and the Dabhol LNG, Ennore LNG, Mundra LNG, and Dhamra LNG terminal.
The newest LNG import terminal is HPCL’s 5 mtpa Chhara LNG import terminal in India’s Gujarat, which launched commercial operations in February.
PPAC said that during April-February, the 17.5 mtpa Dahej terminal operated at 98.1 percent capacity, while the 5.2 mtpa Hazira terminal operated at 32.5 percent capacity.
The 5 mtpa Dhamra LNG terminal operated at 41 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Dabhol LNG terminal operated at 45.1 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Kochi LNG terminal operated at 22.3 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Ennore LNG terminal operated at 25.1 percent capacity, and the 5 mtpa Mundra LNG terminal operated at 22.2 percent capacity.
Petronet LNG expects to launch an additional 5 mtpa capacity at its Dahej LNG terminal in western Gujarat state by June this year.
India’s natural gas demand is forecast to increase by nearly 60 percent by 2030, doubling the country’s need for LNG imports, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.
India’s LNG imports will need to rise to around 65 bcm a year by 2030 to meet rising demand, the IEA said.
