India to step up gas imports to address summer power demand

India has asked state-run firms to increase imports of natural gas in anticipation of higher power demand next summer, three government sources said, aiming to avoid repeating a power crisis in April that was its worst in more than six years.

While the share of natural gas in India’s power generation was just 1.5% this year, down from 3.3% in 2019 due to limited local availability and high global prices, the authorities see it as a crucial stop-gap power source for crunch times, especially when intense summer heat drives up air conditioning use.