The country imported 2.94 billion cubic meters, or about 2.2 million metric tonnes, of LNG in November via long-term contracts and spot purchases.
This marks a rise of 21.7 percent compared to the same month in 2023, PPAC said.
PPAC’s data previously showed that LNG imports rose in October, September, August, July, and June this year compared to the previous year.
During April-November, India took 24.79 bcm of LNG, or about 18.7 million metric tonnes, up by 21 percent compared to the same period last year, according to PPAC.
India paid $1.2 billion for November LNG imports, up from $1.1 billion in November last year. The country paid $10 billion in the April-November period, up from $8.7 billion in the same period last year, PPAC said.
Moreover, India’s natural gas production reached about 2.97 bcm in November, a drop of 2.3 percent from the corresponding month of the previous year.
Natural gas production of 24.24 bcm in April-November was up by 0.7 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
India imports LNG via seven facilities with a combined capacity of about 47.7 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 Chhara LNG import terminal in Gujarat should receive its commissioning cargo soon after it failed to unload the cargo from the 2015-built 159,800-cbm, Maran Gas Mystras.
India’s Hindustan Petroleum, a unit of state-owned ONGC, aims to launch its delayed Chhara LNG import terminal this month or in January 2025, its management said last month.
PPAC said that during April-October this year, the 17.5 mtpa Dahej terminal operated at 102.6 percent capacity, while the 5.2 mtpa Hazira terminal operated at 44.4 percent capacity.
The 5 mtpa Dhamra LNG terminal operated at 31.3 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Dabhol LNG terminal operated at 35.6 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Kochi LNG terminal operated at 22 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Ennore LNG terminal operated at 24.1 percent capacity, and the 5 mtpa Mundra LNG terminal operated at 25.6 percent capacity.
In October, Petronet launched two 180,000-cbm LNG storage tanks at its Dahej terminal in western Gujarat state.
The company is expanding the terminal with about 5 mtpa of new capacity, which should be available by March 2025.
Petronet recently said the company is optimistic about LNG demand growth in the country as its Dahej regasification terminal continues to operate at almost full capacity.
