India’s domestic crude oil production continued to fall in November, data from Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas showed. Crude oil production was down 6.89 per cent y-o-y to 2,431 thousand metric tonne (TMT) but natural gas production was nearly 24 per cent higher in the same period.
Domestic production holds the key to India’s energy security. India spends more than $100 billion on crude oil imports in a normal year.
Cumulative crude oil production during April-November, 2021 was 19,868.42TMT, which is 4.38 per cent lower than target for the period and 2.74 per cent lower than production during corresponding period of last year, the data showed.
The data showed production of natural gas increased 23.09 per cent to 2,869.47 MMSCM but it was 12.8 per cent lower than the monthly target. The cumulative natural gas production during April-November 2021 was 22,777.21 MMSCM, which is 21.78 per cent higher than production during the corresponding period of last year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of 2047, India’s 100th year of freedom from British rule, to achieve self-reliance in energy production.
In his Independence Day speech this year, he had said that for a self-reliant India, energy security is of utmost importantce.
“India is not energy independent and spends over Rs 12 lakh crore every year on importing energy. While India is 85 per cent dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs, overseas supplies make up for roughly half of the local requirement for natural gas. As we celebrate 75 years of Independence, we have to ensure that India becomes self reliant in energy production, too.”
“India can achieve self-reliance in energy through a mix of a gas-based economy, doping sugarcane extracted ethanol in petrol and electric mobility,” according to the prime minister.
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