India’s Crude Oil Imports from OPEC

Context:

OPEC’s share of India’s oil imports for the FY22 financial year remained almost steady year-on-year, arresting sharp declines over the past six years, as refiners prefer crude from West Asia to counter rising global prices.

Relevance:

GS II- International Relations

Dimensions of the Article:

1. India’s crude oil imports from OPEC
2. About Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
3. What is OPEC+?

India’s crude oil imports from OPEC

• In FY08, OPEC oil accounted for almost 88 percent of India’s crude imports. Because refiners in Asia’s third-largest economy are buying cheaper Russian oil, its percentage of India’s overall imports may drop.
• Russian oil, on the other hand, continues to account for less than 1% of India’s crude imports in FY22.

About Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is an intergovernmental organization of 14 nations, founded in 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), and headquartered since 1965 in Vienna, Austria.
• As of 2018, the 14 member countries accounted for an estimated 44 percent of global oil production and almost 82% of the world’s “proven” oil reserves, giving OPEC a major influence on global oil prices that were previously determined by the so-called “Seven Sisters” grouping of multinational oil companies.
• The stated mission of the organization is to “coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets, in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers, and a fair return on capital for those investing in the petroleum industry.”

What is OPEC+?

• OPEC + countries are non-OPEC countries that export crude oil alongside the 14 OPEC countries.
• Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan, and Sudan are among the OPEC plus countries.

What are their goals?

• The OPEC and non OPEC producers first formed the alliance at a historic meeting in Algiers in 2016.
• The aim was to undertake production restrictions to help resuscitate a flailing market.

-Source: The Hindu