India’s June fuel demand recovers as lockdowns ease and mobility picks up

India’s fuel demand recovered last month after slumping to a nine-month low in May, as restrictions to curb the spread of the pandemic were eased and mobility picked up.

Fuel consumption, a proxy for oil demand, rose 8% from May to 16.34 million tonnes, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas showed on Friday.

A second Covid-19 wave, which stalled mobility and dulled economic activity, dragged fuel consumption to its lowest since August in May.

Pandemic infections have, however, eased from May’s peak, prompting a 1.5% year-on-year increase in fuel demand last month.