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Fuel Economy
Petrol consumption spiked by about 10 per cent in the first half of May as summer season travel led to a surge in demand for the fuel, according to provisional sales data of state-owned fuel retailers. Petrol consumption rose to 1.5 million tonne during May 1-15 from 1.37 million tonne sales a year back. Its demand was up 10.5 per cent over consumption of 1.36 million tonne in May 1-15, 2023 and nearly 46 per cent higher than Covid-marred first fortnight of May 2021. Diesel sales were up 2 per cent to 3.36 million tonne, the data of three state-owned fuel retailers, who control about 90 per cent of the fuel market, showed. The consumption of India's most used fuel has rebounded since last month. Diesel, the lifeline of transport and rural agri economy, saw just 2 per cent growth in demand in fiscal year ended March 31, 2025. In April, diesel consumption rose to 8.23 million tonne, up nearly 4 per cent over demand in the year-ago period. During May 1-15, diesel sales were 2 per cent
State-owned oil marketers are likely to turn profitable on fuel marketing in the current fiscal ending on March 31, 2024, following large losses in the previous year, Fitch Ratings said on Monday. The rating agency expects India's petroleum product demand to grow by mid-single digit percentage in the medium term, supported by forecast that the GDP will grow by 6-7 per cent in the next few years, the government's increasing spending on infrastructure and a pick-up in industrial activity. "We expect the Indian oil marketing companies' marketing segment to turn profitable from the financial year ending March 2024 (FY24) as crude oil prices fall to Fitch's assumption of USD 78.8 per barrel, following large losses in FY23 due to high crude prices and unchanged retail fuel prices," it said. This should enable the oil marketing companies (OMCs) to partly recoup the FY23 (April 2022 to March 2023) losses in first half of FY24, before the fall in crude prices in recent months is reflected in
Natural gas and electricity prices in Europe have plunged from summer peaks thanks to mild weather and a monthslong scramble to fill gas storage ahead of winter and replace Russian supplies during the war in Ukraine. It's a welcome respite after Russia slashed natural gas flows, triggering an energy crisis that has fuelled record inflation and a looming recession. Yet experts warn it's too soon to exhale, even as European governments roll out relief packages for people struggling with high utility bills and work on longer-term ways to contain volatile gas and electricity prices that have shrunk household budgets and forced some businesses to shut down. Uncertainties include not only the weather but how responsive people will be to appeals to turn down their heating and how much demand there will be from Asian economies for scarce energy supplies. And the war a few hours east is a cauldron of possible unpleasant surprises that could cut energy supplies needed for electricity, heating
The govt slashed the windfall tax on domestically-produced crude oil three weeks after imposing it. What may have prompted the govt to do this turnabout, and who all will benefit from it?