Petrol and diesel consumption rose during April-October, while LPG demand fell by 14.5 percent. India faces energy supply pressure due to the West Asia war. The government now encourages households to use piped natural gas instead of LPG. Meanwhile, aviation fuel use stayed flat during this seven-month period in 2026.

The Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) is the data and analytical wing of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

India's LPG supplies have remained under pressure since the West Asia war began in late February, given the country's heavy dependence on imports and the concentration of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy transit route. Before the West Asia crisis, nearly 90 percent of India's LPG imports came from Gulf suppliers.

The central government has taken several measures to ease pressure on LPG supplies, including encouraging households with access to piped natural gas (PNG) to shift from LPG connections and asking city gas distribution companies to accelerate the expansion of PNG networks.

The decline in LPG consumption has been particularly pronounced in recent months, reflecting supply constraints as well as efforts to reduce dependence on imported cooking gas.

Meanwhile, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) consumption fell 1.34 percent year-on-year to 7.62 million tonnes in October, against 7.73 million tonnes in the corresponding month last year.

Consumption trends during April-October

Petrol consumption during the first seven months of the current financial year (April-October 2026) rose 6.53 percent to 26.48 million tonnes, compared with 24.85 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.

Diesel consumption increased 5.9 percent to 56.44 million tonnes from 53.29 million tonnes during the same period this year compared to last year, indicating sustained growth in demand for the transport and industrial fuel.

However, LPG consumption registered a much sharper contraction on a cumulative basis, falling 14.5 percent to 16.31 million tonnes during April-October, compared with 19.09 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

ATF consumption remained largely flat, rising marginally by 0.28 percent to 5.20 million tonnes during the seven-month period, against 5.19 million tonnes a year earlier.

The contradictory trends in fuel consumption come as India continues to navigate disruptions to energy supplies and shipping routes amid the prolonged geopolitical crisis in West Asia.