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Demand for diesel in July dropped 12.5% over June, halting a swift recovery witnessed in May and June. Petrol sales in July also fell 1% compared to June. Diesel and petrol sales are down 21% and 11%, respectively, in July from a year earlier, according to industry executives. The figures are for sales by state-run fuel retailers who control 90% of the market.
The sale of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) rose 3.8% in July from a month earlier but is down 65% from the July of 2019 due to the absence of international flights and limited domestic operations. Sales of liquefied petroleum gas, used mainly as cooking fuel in India, rose 10% month on month and were up 3.4% year on year.
The oil demand is unlikely to return to pre-covid levels anytime soon as the effect of the pandemic expands across the country and state governments respond with more lockdowns, Indian Oil NSE -0.11 % Chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya said on Friday. India is reporting more than 50,000 coronavirus cases daily, sparking fears among people and pushing state governments to extend lockdowns, affecting mobility, economic activity and fuel demand.
Inter-state movements still face many challenges, leading to weaker demand for diesel, another executive said.
High prices of petrol and diesel, mainly due to higher taxes, have also slowed down demand recovery. Domestic fuel prices are high despite low international oil prices as the central and state governments have sharply raised duties. Industry executives say until economic activity accelerates fuel demand is unlikely to rise further.
Faltering local demand and an oversupplied export market have also affected refinery run rates that had almost recovered to pre-covid levels. Average refinery run rate at Indian Oil, the nation’s largest refiner and fuel retailer, has fallen to 75% from 93% in early July. Indian Oil Chairman Vaidya expects run rates to stay around 70-75% for the rest of the year.
Lower output is also prompting refiners to cut crude purchases, which would affect oil prices that have recovered from under $20 a barrel late April to $43 a barrel now.