Qatar agrees to supply LNG to Gail India in five-year deal
Qatar will supply liquefied natural gas to Gail India Ltd. from next year under a new five-year pact, according to people with knowledge of the matter. India’s state-owned company will receive one LNG shipment a month from April 2025 until March 2030, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is not public. The deal was concluded as part of a tender that closed earlier this month. Qatar is already India’s largest LNG exporter, providing roughly half of the South Asian nation’s total purchases last year. Gail India and QatarEnergy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Natural gas consumption rises 12%, LNG imports jump 18% in H1 FY25
India’s domestic natural gas production recorded a modest growth of 1.6% during April-September 2024, increasing to 18,160 MMSCM from 17,879 MMSCM in the corresponding period of 2023, according to a report by the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC). The marginal rise was attributed to an 8.6% production increase in PSC/JV fields and a 3.9% boost in Oil India Limited’s (OIL) nomination fields. However, production from ONGC nomination fields witnessed a decline of 3.5%. LNG imports see double-digit growth Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports surged by 18.03% to 18,915 MMSCM during April-September 2024 from 15,416 MMSCM in the same period last year. In value terms, the imports rose by 17.37%, amounting to $7,613 million compared to $6,486 million in the previous year. LNG terminal utilization varied widely, with Dahej terminal operating at 103.9% capacity, while Kochi terminal utilization was at 21.8%. The city gas distribution (CGD) sector also expanded its footprint, reporting 7,259 CNG stations and over 13.7 million PNG connections across 297 geographical areas (GAs) as of October 1, 2024. CGD sector sales increased by 8% to 41.63 MMSCMD during April-September 2024, driven by a 9% rise in CNG sales and an 8% increase in industrial sector sales. However, domestic and commercial sales dipped by 2%.