Fuel consumption in
2024-25, a proxy for oil demand, could rise to 238.954 million tonnes from the
revised estimate of 232.561 million tonnes for the current fiscal year,
according to data from the website of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell
(PPAC). PPAC is a unit of India’s federal oil ministry.
Domestic demand for gasoline, used mainly in
passenger vehicles, is expected to rise by 5.4% to 39.2 million tonnes, while
diesel consumption is expected to increase by 2.7% to 92.4 million tonnes, the
data showed.
Consumption of
aviation fuel is also likely increase by more than 8% to 9 million tonnes,
compared with the estimate of 8.3 million tonnes for the fiscal year ending
March 2024.
Consumption of
bitumen, used for making roads, is likely to rise by 3.4%, while naphtha demand
is expected to drop by 7.4%.
Demand for petcoke, a
better-burning alternative to coal, could increase 4.1% to 20.1 million tonnes,
while demand for liquefied petroleum gas, used as cooking fuel in the country,
is estimated to grow by 2.4% to 30 million tonnes, PPAC data showed.