New Delhi: After having recovered briefly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, India's natural gas production has hit a new low in September at 2,293.52 Million Metric Standard Cubic Meters (MMSCM), touching its second-lowest figure for the year so far. The natural gas output for the month was 18.07 percent lower than the monthly target and 10.69 percent lower when compared to September 2019. The cumulative natural gas production during April-September was 13,953.67 MMSCM, which was 13.11 percent lower than the target for the period and 12.82 percent lower than the production recorded during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
According to the data sourced from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, India's natural gas production had hit the lowest in the immediate aftermath of the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic when it settled at 2,161.33 MMSCM in April. However, in the subsequent months, some recovery was seen as May recorded 2,300.00 MMSCM, June registered 2,323.82 MMSCM, July recorded 2,443.31 MMSCM and August recorded 2,431.69 MMSCM of natural gas output.
Natural gas production by ONGC during September was 1,782.61 MMSCM, which was 11.13 percent lower than the target and 6.84 percent lower when compared with September 2019. The cumulative natural gas production by ONGC during April-September was 10,979.09 MMSCM, which is 10.25 percent lower than the target for the period and 9.05 percent lower than the production during the corresponding period of FY20.
Natural gas production by OIL during September was 200.66 MMSCM, which was 28.44 percent lower than the monthly target and 13.40 percent lower than September 2019. The cumulative natural gas production by OIL during April-September was 1,241.80 MMSCM, which was 20.42 percent lower than the target for the period and 10.30 percent lower than the production during the corresponding period of the last year.
Natural gas production by private sector/JVs in the PSC regime was 310.25 MMSCM in September, which was 39.54 percent lower than the monthly target and 26.65 percent lower than September 2019. The cumulative natural gas production during April-September was 1,732.78 MMSCM, which was 23.52 percent lower than the target for the period and 32.02 percent lower than the production during the corresponding period of the last year.
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