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India: Iran oil shipment levels to stay
After cutting crude oil imports from Iran, India said on Monday that it plans to keep shipments from the West-Asian nation, which is facing the US sanctions, at around current levels.
After cutting crude oil imports from Iran, India said on Monday that it plans to keep shipments from the West-Asian nation, which is facing the US sanctions, at around current levels.
“We are neither trying to reduce nor increase imports from Iran,” petroleum and natural gas minister S Jaipal Reddy said at Petrotech 2012 Conference.
Iran, which till 2010-11 was India’s second biggest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia, has now been relegated to the fourth place. Saudi Arabia supplied 32.6 million tonnes in 2011-12, Iraq 24.5 million tonnes, Kuwait 17.7 million tonnes and Iran sold 17.1 million tonnes.
Listing out concerns regarding energy security for India, the petroleum minister said: “For India, energy security is a truly central issue. India is likely to emerge as one of the top 3rd or 4th importers in the world, of all energy forms — oil, coal, gas and uranium.”
