India’s annual gas production experienced a 3.5 per cent increase, reaching 33.8 bcm in 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Isaac Urrutia
Gas development projects in India with a total anticipated production of 3.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year over the medium term reached final investment decision (FID) during 2024, said a report by the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).
During the last calendar year, the world’s fourth largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer also brought online more than a dozen small gas fields with an initial combined production of around 1.8 bcm.
“Twenty-one new gas development projects in India reached the FID stage, with an anticipated combined plateau production of 3.5 bcm per year over the medium-term,” GECF’s annual gas market report for 2025 said.
FID is the final stage in a project where it is determined whether to proceed with it or close the project down.
The report pointed out that a total of 13 relatively small new gas fields came on stream in 2024, with an initial combined production reaching 1.8 bcm and expected plateau production of 3 bcm annually. All of the newly commissioned fields are conventional gas fields.
“In the short-term, India is anticipated to increase production, driven by the offshore sector,” the GECF report said.
Higher production
India’s annual gas production experienced a 3.5 per cent increase, reaching 33.8 bcm in 2024. This growth was primarily driven by a government initiative to rejuvenate production from mature gas fields, leading to a noticeable increase in output, alongside the commissioning of new gas field development projects, particularly offshore, the report pointed out.
The majority of India’s gas output came from conventional gas fields, accounting for 93 per cent of the total, while 4 per cent came from coal bed methane (CBM) development, primarily in the West Bengal field, and 3 per cent from tight gas fields, it said.
“Offshore production made up 71 per cent of the total gas output; however, its share has decreased over the past decade, down from 77 per cent in 2014. Additionally, associated gas production represented nearly 30 per cent of the overall output, a percentage that has remained stable over the last decade,” it added.
India’s reported proven gas reserves witnessed a decline over the last five years, to stand at 1.14 trillion cubic meters (tcm), with the majority being conventional proven gas reserves.
This was mainly driven by a reduced number of new gas discoveries in India. Additionally, India is in possession of a considerable volume of technically recoverable shale gas resources, estimated at 2.15 tcm. These volumes are still untapped and need extensive development studies for their exploitation.
Adopting LNG
The report noted that India stands out among other countries in its approach to adopting LNG for the transport sector.
“Although the country currently has fewer than 1,000 LNG-powered trucks, the government aims to have one-third of the truck fleet running on LNG within the next five to seven years,” it added.
India’s high dependence on oil imports, which surpasses that of China, adds further impetus to this transition, it added.
To support this goal, the government is focused on expanding LNG refuelling infrastructure, which remains limited, and is allocating domestic gas — cheaper than imported LNG — for LNG-powered trucks.
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Published on April 24, 2025