India’s import of Russian crude oil drops 55% in November

16 Dec 2024 Evaluate

India’s import of Russian crude oil dropped by 55% in November to its lowest level since June 2022 on the back of shrinking discounts. But Kremlin continues to be the biggest source of oil for India. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in its latest report said India became the second biggest buyer of Russian crude oil since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with purchases rising from less than 1% of the total oil imported to almost 40% of the country's total oil purchases.

The rise was primarily because the Russian crude oil was available at a discount to other internationally traded oil due to the price cap and the European nations shunning purchases from Moscow. Russia remained India's top oil supplier, followed by Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

In November, there was a 17% month-on-month increase in the discount on Russia's Urals grade crude oil to an average of $6.01 per barrel compared to Brent crude oil. The discount on the ESPO grade narrowed by a massive 15% and was traded at an average discount of $3.88 per barrel while that on the Sokol blend narrowed by 2% to $6.65 per barrel. 

Russia predominantly sells ESPO and Sokol grades of crude oil to India. Besides crude oil, India bought smaller quantities of coal from Russia. India imports more than 85% of its crude oil, which is refined into fuels like petrol and diesel refineries.

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