LNG imports are expected to climb by 7% in 2025

India’s natural gas import bill increased by 17% to $8.9 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, up from $7.6 billion in the same period a year ago, owing to increased consumption, particularly by city gas distribution companies and the power sector, according to data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell. The import bill for October was $1.2 billion, compared to $1.1 billion during the same period last fiscal year.

According to the data, the government imported 22,085 million standard cubic meters of LNG (liquified natural gas) between April and October, a 22.2% increase over the same period in FY24. The country’s reliance on imported gas climbed to 51.3% between April and October, up from 46.7% in April and October of fiscal year 24.

Going forward, with rising LNG prices and a tight winter supply picture, India may encounter difficulties in acquiring competitively priced spot LNG cargoes, primarily remaining sidelined, according to global real-time data and analytics firm Kpler.