4% rise in diesel use, says report
Shoma Patnaik
Panaji : Amid global oil disruption and a spike in fuel prices, Goans are using petrol and diesel liberally. The state’s petrol consumption jumped by 9 per cent, from 216.6 thousand metric tons (TMT) to 237.4 TMT in 2025-26, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Goa, which has a high density of vehicles on the road and robust private car ownership, tops in per capita demand for petrol at 149.2 kg per person vis-a-vis the all-India average of 30.2 kg per person, revealed a report by the petroleum planning & analysis cell (PPAC) of the ministry.
The report said that in per capita consumption of petrol the state is at the forefront than much bigger states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra that by volume lead in consumption. The state’s annual increase in petrol consumption is far ahead of the national average which was 6.5 per cent in 2025-26, the report pointed out.
In diesel, which remains the mainstay fuel, the consumption grew by 4 per cent, from 281.1 TMT to 292.8 TMT in 2025-26. The state’s per capita consumption of diesel at 184.1 kg per person is also on elevated levels as against the all-India average of 67 kg per person.
As per the PPAC, rising private vehicle ownership, improved income levels, and increased economic activities are driving the demand for petrol (motor spirit) across states. About 55 per cent of diesel demand is from the transport sector, including trucks (heavy and light commercial vehicles), while 6.3 per cent is from industry and the remaining between agriculture, railways, taxis, private cars, etc.
Goa’s overall consumption of petroleum products, comprising a variety of fuels such as LPG, CNG, ATF, pet coke, lubes, etc, was 806.1 TMT in 2025-26, said the report. The state has around 146 petrol pumps belonging to Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.
On May 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to voluntarily reduce fuel consumption by adopting work from home, use public transport and shift to electric vehicles in view of the volatile oil situation during the ongoing US-Israel war.
Modi pushed for greater fuel conservation to save foreign exchange of the country.
Following the statement, the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant asked Goans to cut down on consumption of petroleum products.
Overall consumption of petroleum, oil, and lubricants for 2025-26, in the country increased by 1.7 per cent from 2,39,221.5 TMT to 2,43,203.3 TMT in 2025-26. Growth in the petroleum products is driven by demand for petrol, LPG, diesel and airline turbine fuel, said the PPAC report.
