Indian Refineries

Indian refiners will also issue some spot tenders for purchase of US LPG for deliveries early next year, the sources said. Details are not yet available

India plans to raise energy imports from the US to cut its trade surplus with Washington, a key irritant for President Donald Trump, who has imposed a 50% import levy on Indian goods

Saudi benchmark contract prices (CPs) for November for propane and butane, blended to make LPG, dropped to their lowest since August 2023 - $475 and $460 a tonne

Indian processors, the top buyers of seaborne oil from Moscow, have been weighing up their options since US authorities blacklisted two of Russia's largest producers, Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC

Indian refiners, the world's biggest user of Russian oil, can operate without supplies from Moscow from a technical standpoint, but the shift would involve major economic and strategic trade-offs, analysts said. Russian crude supports high distillate yields - the share of crude converted into fuels like petrol, diesel, and jet fuel through distillation. Replacing Russian crude, which accounts for up to 38 per cent of India's refinery intake, with alternatives will shift yields, resulting in lower middle distillates (diesel and jet fuel) and higher residue outputs, according to global real-time data and analytics provider Kpler. US President Donald Trump last week announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on US imports from India -- raising the overall duty to 50 per cent -- as a penalty for the country's continued imports of Russian oil. Since the steep tariffs are likely to hit the USD 27 billion of non-exempt exports that India does to the US, there has been chatter around stoppi

In FY25, sectors like refineries, telecom services, and iron and steel led capital investments in India

Advent of US LPG will enhance India's security of supply

India's trade deficit widened more than expected in March, as oil imports jumped more than 60 per cent from a month earlier

Crude import bill increased by 2.7% in FY25 to $137 billion

Most of the cargoes were booked at a discount of less than $3 a barrel to benchmarks, the people said

Indian oil refineries have initiated tests of fuel emulsion systems from a Monaco-based company to clean highly polluting bunker fuel as they eye significant benefits, including substantial fuel cost savings and a reduction in environmental impact of the high carbon-emitting fuel used in ships. Two state-owned oil firms deployed Fowe Eco Solutions' (FOWE) patented Cavitech devices at their refinery and depot installations to check the result of emulsified fuel oil (bunker fuel), sources aware of the matter said. Trials showed substantial reduction in emissions and better fuel efficiency, they said, adding the refiners are now looking at tests for its commercial use. Requiring very little initial investment and eliminating the need for installation downtime, the FOWE uses a process known as cavitation using its Cavitech device, which allows emulsification of fuel oil, also known as furnace oil, with fresh water. This process, which does not require any additives or further processing

Indian refiners may face a windfall this year from falling Urals oil rates even as US levies sanctions on Russian firms. Will motorists benefit?

India's annual consumption of refined fuels and petrochemicals is expected to rise steadily by 4-5 per cent and 7-8 per cent in the 'foreseeable future'

Attacks in the Red Sea have driven up freight rates, while tougher US sanctions have stranded some Russian cargoes destined for India, adding to costs

So far this month, the mostly private processors took an average of 168,000 barrels a day of Sokol, three times more than January's pace and well ahead of the 53,000 barrels in 2023

Houthi attacks on Russian crude deliveries coincide with escalating US actions on ships carrying such crude, leading to double trouble for India

Indian Oil Corp, the country's top refiner, and Bharat Petroleum Corp, are looking at lifting an additional 1 million barrels of oil each from Saudi Aramco in February, the sources said

Higher discounts on Russian oil this month may help Indian refiners reduce crude sourcing costs and trim fuel marketing losses even as Brent crude crosses $95/barrel, weakening the country's finances

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India is the world's third-largest crude oil consumer and imports more than 85 per cent of its oil needs