First American crude oil shipment to reach India by end-September

In what is a new dynamic in Indo-US ties, the first shipment of American crude oil is likely to reach India in the last week of September. With this, India, the world's third-largest oil importer, joins Asian countries like South Korea, Japan and China to buy American crude after production cuts by OPEC drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades with a high sulphur content.

"New breakthroughs! oil shipments frm US to India has started," the Indian Embassy in Washington tweeted on Wednesday after Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna, handed over papers for the shipment to the Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

The first lot of two million barrels costs US$ 100 million (Rs 631 crore), but given the volume being contemplated by Indian companies, this new development is expected to boost the bilateral oil trade to US$ 2 billion (Rs 12,634 crore), as per a PTI report.

Consignments of American crude oil left the US shores between August 6-14 and are likely to reach Paradip (Odisha) in the last week of September.

While the 40-year-old ban on export of American oil was lifted by the then US President Barack Obama in December 2015, the maiden meeting between prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump on June 26 saw them agree to deepen the engagement in the energy sector.

Soon thereafter, Indian companies started purchasing crude from the US. Oil marketing companies Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum placed orders for over four million barrels. The development was welcomed by Trump in his phone call with Modi. "In his call with prime minister Modi on Monday, President Trump welcomed the first-ever shipment of American crude oil to India, which will occur from Texas later this month," a State Department spokesperson told PTI. "The President pledged that the United States would continue to be a reliable, long-term supplier of energy," the spokesperson said in response to a question.

While Indian Oil Corporation placed its first order in July and the second order on August 10, Bharat Petroleum made its first purchase of US oil, buying high sulphur crudes ‘Mars’ and ‘Poseidon’. BPCL has bought a cargo containing 500,000 barrels each of Mars and Poseidon for delivery from September 26 to October 10. Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) is also looking at buying US crude oil.

IOC director (Finance) A K Sharma told PTI recently that buying US crude has become attractive for Indian refiners after the differential between Brent (the benchmark crude or marker crude that serves as a reference price for buyers in western world) and Dubai (which serves as a benchmark for countries in the east) has narrowed. Even after including the shipping cost, buying US crude is cost competitive to Indian refiners, he said.

"We are not looking at any term (or fixed quantity) deal from US as of now. We will tender to buy crude and if the US crude is competitive as compared to others, we will buy it," he said.

India’s fast-growing energy coinsumption
Over the next 20 years, India's energy consumption growth is projected to be the fastest among all major economies. By 2035, China and India will have the largest share of global demand (35 per cent).

While this is the first crude oil import from the US, Indian companies have made significant investment in purchasing energy assets in the United States. Four Indian public and private sector companies have invested approximately US$ 5 billion (Rs 31,585 crore) in shale assets in the US.

Indian companies have also contracted 9 MMTPA of LNG from the US and the first shipment is expected in Jan 2018. Of this, GAIL has contracted 5.8 MMT per annum, including 3.5 MMTPA of LNG from Sabine Pass Liquefaction terminal (Louisiana) and 2.3 MMTPA from Cove Point LNG liquefaction project (Maryland).