• India is the fourth largest energy consumer in the world after the United States, China, and Russia.
• India was the fourth largest consumer of oil and petroleum products in the world in 2011, after the United States, China, and Japan. The country depends heavily on imported crude oil, mostly from the Middle East.
• India had 5.5 billion barrels of proved oil reserves at the end of 2012, mostly in the western part of the country. Domestic production has stagnated in recent years, and Indian national oil companies increasingly purchase equity stakes in overseas oil fields.
• India's government promotes the country's refining sector, and India became a net exporter of petroleum products in 2001. India has several world-class refineries in Jamnagar, and the refining industry is largely privately owned.
• Natural gas serves as a substitute for coal for electricity generation in India. The country began importing liquefied natural gas from Qatar in 2004 and increasingly relies on imports to meet domestic natural gas needs.
• India had 43.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves at the end of 2012, mostly located offshore. The two biggest state-owned oil companies, ONGC and Oil India, dominate the country's upstream gas sector.
• India became the world's sixth largest liquefied natural gas importer in 2011. Indian companies have begun investing in new regasification facilities to meet rising demand.
• Coal is India's primary source of energy. The country has the world's fifth largest coal reserves. The state retains a near-monopoly on the coal sector. The power sector makes up the majority of coal consumption.
• India has 211 gigawatts of installed electricity capacity, mostly in coal-powered plants. Because of insufficient fuel supply, the country suffers from a severe shortage of electricity generation, leading to rolling blackouts.

Read full India Analysis Brief »

Analysis Last Updated: March 18, 2013