據能源世界網5月18日新德里報道，印度燃料需求在4月份以創紀錄速度下降，隨后放松了對燃料供應的封鎖，允許更多車輛上路行駛，并增加了工廠活動之后，5月份正迅速復蘇。

據業內高管表示，5月份前兩周，國有石油公司的柴油和汽油銷量同比分別下降了28%和47.5%。這與4月份相比有明顯改善，當時柴油和汽油的銷量分別下降了56.5%和61%。國有企業控制著近90%的國內燃料銷售。

全國范圍內的封鎖逐步放松，許多工廠恢復了生產，更多的貨車和客車上路，推動了對燃料的需求。與為遏制疫情蔓延而實施的全國封鎖的第一個和最嚴格階段相重疊的4月上半月，見證了燃料需求急劇下降，柴油和汽油銷售額較一年前分別下降61%和64%。

高管們表示，預計封鎖限制的進一步放松可能會在5月的下半月提振燃料需求。

然而，由于客機仍被禁止飛行，航空燃油的銷售幾乎沒有恢復。5月份前兩周，航空燃油銷量同比下降87%。4月份，下降了91.5%。

高管們稱，在該國主要用于烹飪的液化石油氣（LPG）的銷量在5月的上半月比去年同期增長了24％，從而進一步提高了過去多個月的強勁增長速度。今年4月上半月的液化石油氣銷售量增加了21%，但整個月的銷售量僅下降到12%，由于預計5月初烹飪用天然氣價格將大幅下降，經銷商在月底交貨速度放慢。

燃料需求的增加讓煉油廠如釋重負，煉油廠目前都在提高運轉率。印度石油公司(Indian Oil Corp)表示，其煉油廠已將產能利用率從上月的45%提高至60%，并計劃在5月底前進一步提高至80%。需求崩潰和庫存過剩迫使所有煉油商削減產能利用率。沒有一家煉油廠被關閉，盡管有幾家非常接近。

郝芬 譯自 能源世界網

原文如下：

India's fuel demand recovers in May

India’s fuel demand is recovering fast in May after falling at a record pace in April following the easing of lockdown that has permitted more vehicles on the roads and increased factory activity.

The diesel and petrol sales by state oil companies have fallen by 28 per cent and 47.5 per cent, respectively, in the first fortnight of May from a year earlier, according to industry executives. This is a sharp improvement from April, when the sale of diesel and petrol had declined by 56.5 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively. State companies control nearly 90 per cent of domestic fuel sales.

A staggered easing of nationwide lockdown has got many factories humming back to life and more goods trucks and passenger cars on the roads, driving up demand for fuel. The first fortnight of April, which overlapped with the first and the strictest phase of the nationwide lockdown imposed to stem the spread of coronavirus had witnessed the sharpest fall in fuel demand with diesel and petrol sales falling 61 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively, from a year earlier.

An expected further easing of the lockdown curbs may boost fuel demand in the second fortnight of May, executives said.

Jet fuel sales, however, are barely recovering as passenger planes are still barred from flying. Jet fuel sales fell 87 per cent in the first fortnight of May from a year earlier. In April, it had declined by 91.5 per cent.

The sales of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), used mainly for cooking in the country, has jumped 24 per cent in the first fortnight of May from a year earlier, further improving its scorching growth pace of the past many months. The LPG sales in the first half of April was 21 per cent higher though for the full month reduced to just 12 per cent mainly because dealers slowed taking delivery towards the end of the month in anticipation of a sharp reduction in cooking gas prices at the beginning of May, executives said.

Increased fuel demand has come as a big relief to refineries, which are now increasing their run rates. Indian Oil Corp said its refineries have raised capacity utilization to 60 per cent from 45 per cent last month and plan to raise it further to 80 per cent by end-May. A demand collapse and overflowing storage had forced all refiners to cut capacity utilization. None of the refineries was shut down though some came very close to it.