IGX starts discovering benchmark pricing for gas in India

As increasingly more fuel fields get commissioned in India from RIL, ONGC and Cairn, we count on the volumes to extend and benchmark to turn out to be a actuality quickly, he stated.

Six months after formally beginning as a fuel trade, IGX has began discovering fuel pricing for India that can assist create a benchmark index for Indian fuel market.

Rajesh Kumar Mediratta, director at IGX instructed FE that after beginning with a really small amount of 1,500 mmBtu in December final 12 months, the buying and selling gained momentum and now the quantity on common is round 100,000 mmBtu of fuel each month. With out the Covid-19 interruption, the volumes would have been double the present commerce.

“Additionally, one of many endeavours of the trade was to set a benchmark index for fuel costs in India, and to that extent we have now began discovering the pricing that can assist consumers to check varied fuel costs, imported versus the IGX costs on the trade earlier than taking a ultimate choice,” Mediratta stated.

There’s a enormous mismatch between the imported worth and the flexibility and willingness of finish shoppers to pay that worth. “The benchmark costs are principally evaluation costs and can’t be a benchmark for Indian consumers. For instance, if the benchmark JPM worth at current is $11 per mmBtu, our found worth on IGX is cheaper at round $7-$8/mmBtu,” Mediratta stated.

The IGX costs have remained properly under the spot and long-term costs since January within the vary of 9%-23% for spot costs and between 32%-37% in comparison with long-term contracts.

As increasingly more fuel fields get commissioned in India from RIL, ONGC and Cairn, we count on the volumes to extend and benchmark to turn out to be a actuality quickly, he stated.

“We’ve additionally requested the federal government to permit buying and selling of home APM and advertising freedom fuel on the trade, which below the present pointers issued in October 2020 can solely be bought by e-auctions,” Mediratta stated.

IGX was launched on June 15, 2020, and acquired ultimate regulatory approval to commerce as an trade in December 2020. Until date, IGX has traded round 5,46,100 mmBtu (million metric British thermal unit) of fuel by spot and long-term contracts. From April 1- year-to-date, the trade has traded round 352,400 mmBtu of fuel, whereas in June until date the trade has traded round 1,58,400 mmBtu of fuel.

A number of the main contributing industries have been glass, energy, metropolis fuel distribution, textile and resellers.