Domestic consumption of petroleum products in May fell 23% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 14.7 million tonne (MT) on muted sales of transportation fuels amid the country-wide lockdown to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus. However, products consumed in the month was about 47% higher than April, reflecting higher usage with the gradual easing of travel restrictions.
According to provisional data by the government’s petroleum planning and analysis cell (PPAC), diesel usage dipped 29% annually to 5.5 MT in May, while demand for the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) fell 84% to 111 thousand tonne in the month. Petrol sales fell 35% to 1.8 MT in May. Consumption of bitumen, mostly used in road construction, dropped 21% y-o-y to 571 thousand tonne.
