Ambiguity over Indian gas demand figures

A pivot towards coal in the absence of concrete plans for gas price reform could see bullish projections for Indian gas demand growth evaporate

Global gas trade is widely tipped to balloon in the coming decades on the back of surging demand from Asia. Specifically, both China and India are frequently singled out as major drivers expanding the market for internationally traded gas. There is no denying that China is the fastest growing major market for liquefied natural gas (LNG). India, for its part, is often tipped to pick up the baton from China. India’s potential demand for LNG imports is forecast at around 100bn cubic metres (cm) – or roughly 72.5m tonnes – by 2030, up from around 14m tonnes in 2013. This signals that India will rival both Japan and China as a driver of global LNG trade within the next 15 years. But there is cons