Coal supplies 70.8% of India's electricity, while clean sources make up 26.7%.
India
TWh
About this chart
This stacked bar shows the 2025 electricity generation mix. Coal is the largest block at 1,474 TWh. Clean sources together produce 555 TWh. Gas is much smaller at 48.5 TWh. Read this as the electricity layer only; oil, coal imports, and LNG imports sit outside the grid chart.
Why this chart It gives the clearest power-sector answer to the page question.
How to read it Compare the coal block with the clean and gas blocks.
Watch out Do not treat the electricity mix as the whole energy system.
India's electricity is still overwhelmingly coal-driven. In 2025, coal generated 1,474 TWh, or 70.8% of total generation. Clean sources together generated 555 TWh, or 26.7%. Gas was much smaller at 48.5 TWh, or 2.3%. So the first answer to "what powers India?" is simple for electricity: coal is the backbone, clean power is now a serious second block, and gas is marginal.
How has the electricity mix changed over time?
The long-run chart shows why the transition feels slow even when renewables are growing fast. Coal generation rose from 390 TWh in 2000 to 1,474 TWh in 2025. Clean generation rose from 96 TWh to 555 TWh over the same period, which is a much faster multiple, but still a smaller absolute base. Gas went the other way, from 56 TWh in 2000 to 48.5 TWh in 2025. The grid is getting cleaner at the margin, but coal has not disappeared; it has grown with demand.
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Coal, clean power, and gas generation
Coal is still much larger in absolute generation, even as clean power grows faster.
Ember · electricity generation
TWh
CoalGasClean sources
About this chart
Coal rose from 390 TWh in 2000 to 1,474 TWh in 2025. Clean generation rose from 96 TWh to 555 TWh. Gas fell from 56 TWh to 48.5 TWh. The clean line has grown quickly, but the coal line remains the top line.
Why this chart It shows absolute work done by each fuel group, not just shares.
How to read it The vertical axis is TWh; higher lines mean more electricity generated.
Watch out Do not infer falling coal generation from rising clean share.
How much crude oil does India import each month?
PPAC's current 2025-26 report shows crude oil imports of 245.4 million tonnes for the fiscal year. Monthly crude imports were consistently large, mostly around 19 to 22 million tonnes: 21.0 million tonnes in April 2025, a low of 18.9 million tonnes in July, and a high of 21.6 million tonnes in December. In value terms, PPAC reports a crude import bill of $123.1 billion. Oil is the big import-exposure layer of India's energy system.
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Crude oil imports in 2025-26
PPAC reports 245.4 million tonnes of crude imports in 2025-26.
PPAC · CRUDE OIL · current fiscal year
000 metric tonnes
About this chart
Monthly crude imports mostly sit around 19 to 22 million tonnes. April is 21.0 million tonnes, July is 18.9 million tonnes, and December is 21.6 million tonnes. The annual crude import bill is $123.1 billion.
Why this chart It shows the physical flow behind the oil-import bill.
How to read it Each bar is one fiscal-year month in thousand metric tonnes.
Watch out Do not confuse tonnes with dollars; the price chart explains why similar volumes can cost more.
What India pays per barrel
The PPAC Indian crude basket puts a price on that dependence. The endpoint gives usable fiscal-year averages of $44.6/bbl in 2020-21, $78.9/bbl in 2021-22, $82.5/bbl in 2023-24, and $78.6/bbl in 2024-25. Its latest current row is 2026-27 year-to-date, averaging $110.4/bbl from the available months. That latest point is not a full-year average, but it shows the pressure clearly: when the basket price rises, the same crude-import volume costs many more dollars.
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What India pays per barrel
PPAC's latest current row puts the Indian crude basket at $110.4/bbl year-to-date for 2026-27.
PPAC
$/bbl
About this chart
The PPAC endpoint gives fiscal-year averages of $44.6/bbl in 2020-21, $78.9/bbl in 2021-22, $82.5/bbl in 2023-24, and $78.6/bbl in 2024-25. The latest 2026-27 point is a year-to-date current-row average, not a completed fiscal year.
Why this chart It connects the import-volume story to the price India pays.
How to read it Higher points mean a larger dollar bill for the same crude volume.
Watch out Do not present the 2026-27 point as a completed annual average.
Fuel import bill in dollars
Put the fuel imports next to each other and crude oil dominates. In 2025-26, PPAC puts crude oil imports at $123.1 billion. TradeStat puts coal imports at $26.7 billion. PPAC puts petroleum product imports at $20.9 billion and LNGLNGLiquefied natural gas is natural gas cooled into liquid form so it can be shipped by sea, then turned back into gas after arrival.PPAC reports 25.8 million tonnes of LNG imports in 2025-26, worth $13.3 billion. imports at $13.3 billion. Together, these four buckets are about $184 billion. The electricity story begins with coal, but the macroeconomic story begins with the import bill.
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Fuel import bill in dollars
Crude oil alone cost $123.1 billion in 2025-26.
PPAC + TradeStat · India fuel imports · 2025-26
US$ billions
About this chart
The chart compares four import buckets: crude oil at $123.1 billion, coal at $26.7 billion, petroleum products at $20.9 billion, and LNG at $13.3 billion. Crude dominates the dollar bill.
Why this chart It shows the money scale of imported fuels.
How to read it Longer bars mean higher import value in US$ billions.
Watch out Do not read spending as physical volume; fuels have different prices per unit.
Fuel import bill in rupees
The rupee view makes the scale more legible for Indian readers. In 2025-26, crude oil imports cost ₹10,88,904 crore. Coal imports cost ₹2,35,954 crore. Petroleum product imports cost ₹1,83,890 crore. LNG imports cost ₹1,17,542 crore. Crude is the largest by far, but coal, products, and LNG together are still large enough to matter for the trade balance and for any serious energy-security story.
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Fuel import bill in rupees
Crude oil imports cost ₹10,88,904 crore in 2025-26.
PPAC + TradeStat · India fuel imports · 2025-26
₹ crore
About this chart
The rupee chart shows crude oil at ₹10,88,904 crore, coal at ₹2,35,954 crore, petroleum products at ₹1,83,890 crore, and LNG at ₹1,17,542 crore.
Why this chart It makes the import bill legible in Indian fiscal language.
How to read it Bars are in ₹ crore; 1 lakh crore is 1,00,000 crore.
Watch out Do not treat the rupee chart as a separate dataset; it is the same import-bill comparison in Indian currency.
Which countries supply India's crude oil?
TradeStat's 2025-26 partner table shows the current crude import map. Russia is the largest supplier by value at $40.8 billion, followed by Iraq at $23.1 billion, Saudi Arabia at $19.5 billion, the UAE at $15.1 billion, and the US at $9.9 billion. Kuwait, Nigeria, Angola, Brazil, and Qatar follow. This is the latest origin snapshot; the next chart shows how unusual Russia's rise is when viewed over time.
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Where India's crude oil imports come from
Russia is the largest current crude supplier at $40.8 billion.
TradeStat / DGCI&S · India imports · 2025-26
US$ billions
About this chart
TradeStat's 2025-26 partner table ranks Russia first at $40.8 billion, then Iraq at $23.1 billion, Saudi Arabia at $19.5 billion, the UAE at $15.1 billion, and the US at $9.9 billion.
Why this chart It identifies the current country-origin map for crude oil.
How to read it Bars are sorted by import value in US$ billions.
Watch out Do not read this as barrel-equivalent supply; it is import value by partner country.
How did Russia become India's top crude supplier?
Russia was not literally zero in the earlier TradeStat window, but it was small. In 2017-18 India imported about $1.2 billion of Russian crude, ranked 14th among suppliers. It stayed small through 2021-22, then jumped to $31.0 billion in 2022-23, became number one at $46.5 billion in 2023-24, peaked at $50.3 billion in 2024-25, and still led at $40.8 billion in 2025-26. At the same time, Iran falls from $9.0 billion in 2017-18 and $12.1 billion in 2018-19 to zero in later years. This is the clearest geopolitical shift in the energy-trade data.
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How Russia became a major crude supplier
Russia rose from $1.2 billion in 2017-18 to $50.3 billion in 2024-25, then $40.8 billion in 2025-26.
TradeStat / DGCI&S · HS 270900 crude oil imports by partner · 2017-18 to 2025-26
US$ billions
RussiaIraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US, Iran
About this chart
Russia ranked 14th in 2017-18, stayed small through 2021-22, jumped to $31.0 billion in 2022-23, and became the largest supplier in 2023-24. Iran moves the other way, falling to zero after 2019-20 in this series.
Why this chart It explains why the current crude-origin chart looks so different from the pre-2022 pattern.
How to read it Follow the Russia line from the bottom group to the top.
Watch out Do not say Russia was zero before 2022; it was small, not absent.
Where does India import its coal from?
Coal still powers most electricity, and imported coal adds another dependency layer. TradeStat's 2025-26 HS 2701 table has Australia and Indonesia almost tied at the top, with $6.2 billion each. Russia follows at $3.4 billion, the US at $3.3 billion, and South Africa at $2.9 billion. These are value rankings, not heat-content rankings, so price and coal grade both affect the order.
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Where India's coal imports come from
Australia and Indonesia are almost tied at about $6.2 billion each.
TradeStat / DGCI&S · India imports · 2025-26
US$ billions
About this chart
TradeStat's 2025-26 coal table shows Australia at $6.2 billion and Indonesia at $6.2 billion, followed by Russia at $3.4 billion, the US at $3.3 billion, and South Africa at $2.9 billion.
Why this chart It connects coal-heavy electricity with the geography of imported coal.
How to read it Bars show import value by partner country.
Watch out Do not confuse value rankings with heat-content or tonne rankings.
Which countries supply India's LNG?
LNG is smaller than crude and coal, but it is still a named import channel. TradeStat's 2025-26 LNG table is led by Qatar at $5.6 billion, followed by the UAE at $1.5 billion, the US at $1.4 billion, Angola at $1.3 billion, Oman at $1.2 billion, and Nigeria at $1.2 billion. This is LNG under HS 271111, not pipeline gas.
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Where India's LNG imports come from
Qatar is the largest LNG supplier at $5.6 billion.
TradeStat / DGCI&S · India imports · 2025-26
US$ billions
About this chart
The 2025-26 LNG table is led by Qatar at $5.6 billion, the UAE at $1.5 billion, the US at $1.4 billion, Angola at $1.3 billion, Oman at $1.2 billion, and Nigeria at $1.2 billion.
Why this chart It shows the partner-country exposure for imported gas.
How to read it Bars show TradeStat HS 271111 import value.
Watch out Do not treat LNG as a major electricity fuel; gas is a small part of generation.
How much LNG does India import each month?
PPAC reports 25.8 million tonnes of LNG imports in 2025-26, equal to 34,216 MMSCM, with a value of $13.3 billion. Monthly LNG imports usually sit around 2.0 to 2.4 million tonnes, with September and October both around 2.44 million tonnes. PPAC marks the March 2026 value as provisional, so the final row can move when official trade data is finalized.
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LNG import volumes in 2025-26
PPAC reports 25.8 million tonnes of LNG imports in 2025-26.
PPAC · Total LNG Imports (Long Term, Spot) · current fiscal year
MMT
About this chart
Monthly LNG imports are mostly around 2.0 to 2.4 million tonnes. September and October are both near 2.44 million tonnes. PPAC marks the March 2026 value as provisional.
Why this chart It complements the partner-value chart with physical import volumes.
How to read it Each bar is a month; the unit is million metric tonnes.
Watch out Do not confuse MMT with MMSCM; the chart uses MMT.
What about petroleum product imports?
India imports crude at a much larger scale than finished petroleum products, but product imports are not zero. PPAC puts petroleum product imports at $20.9 billion in 2025-26, while product exports are $41.1 billion. TradeStat's product-origin table is led by Russia at $3.5 billion, Korea at $1.2 billion, the UAE at $1.1 billion, Iraq at $698 million, Singapore at $532 million, and Qatar at $401 million. India is a major refiner, but it still imports selected products.
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Where petroleum product imports come from
Russia leads petroleum product import origins at $3.5 billion.
TradeStat / DGCI&S · India imports · 2025-26
US$ billions
About this chart
TradeStat's product-origin table is led by Russia at $3.5 billion, Korea at $1.2 billion, the UAE at $1.1 billion, Iraq at $698 million, Singapore at $532 million, and Qatar at $401 million. PPAC puts total product imports at $20.9 billion.
Why this chart It shows that finished product imports exist even though India is a major refiner.
How to read it Bars show value by partner country.
Watch out Do not confuse petroleum products with crude oil.
Is India's electricity grid getting cleaner?
Yes, per unit. Ember's carbon-intensity series falls from about 740 gCO2/kWh in 2000 to about 670 gCO2/kWh in 2025. That is real progress, but it is gradual because coal generation remains large. The country can make each unit of electricity cleaner while total generation, and therefore total fuel demand, keeps rising.
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The grid is getting cleaner per unit
Electricity carbon intensity fell from about 740 to 670 gCO2/kWh between 2000 and 2025.
Ember
gCO2/kWh
About this chart
The direction is cleaner, but the fall is gradual because coal generation remains large while total demand rises.
Why this chart It gives the per-unit climate metric for the power sector.
How to read it Lower values mean fewer emissions per unit of electricity.
Watch out Do not infer that total power-sector emissions have fallen from this chart alone.
How fast is electricity demand climbing?
Electricity demand rose from 573 TWh in 2000 to 2,083 TWh in 2025. Per-capita electricity demand rose from 0.5 MWh to 1.4 MWh over the same period. This is the core constraint on the transition: clean generation has to grow against a moving target. The system is not just replacing old coal; it is trying to meet new demand at the same time.
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Electricity demand keeps climbing
Electricity demand grew from 573 TWh in 2000 to 2,083 TWh in 2025.
Ember
TWh
About this chart
Demand growth explains why clean power has to grow very quickly. It is competing against a rising baseline, not a fixed electricity system.
Why this chart It frames the transition challenge.
How to read it The upward slope shows rising total electricity demand.
Watch out Do not treat demand growth as separate from the coal story; it is why coal remains large.
Tell me what this means, bro
Okay bro, what does this mean?
Translation: the main number to hold in your head is 23.04 in 2025. The useful comparison number is 1. The chart is useful, but do not convert it into a WhatsApp forward. Read the caveat before the confidence.
Built from 16 local data artifacts, not live model memory.॥
Plain English concepts
TWh
A terawatt-hour is a unit for very large amounts of electricity. It is useful for national power systems because household-scale units are too small.
India generated 2,083 TWh of electricity in 2025, so the page uses TWh to compare coal, clean power, gas, and demand.
Carbon intensity
Carbon intensity measures grams of CO2 released per kilowatt-hour of electricity. Lower values mean each unit of power is cleaner.
India's electricity carbon intensity fell from about 740 to 670 gCO2/kWh between 2000 and 2025, even though total demand rose.
Crude basket price
India's crude basket price is the average price of the crude oil grades India buys. It is not the same thing as Brent or WTI.
PPAC's latest current row puts the basket at $110.4/bbl for 2026-27 year-to-date, while the completed 2024-25 average was $78.6/bbl.
LNG
Liquefied natural gas is natural gas cooled into liquid form so it can be shipped by sea, then turned back into gas after arrival.
PPAC reports 25.8 million tonnes of LNG imports in 2025-26, worth $13.3 billion.
The data behind this article
Built from 16 data series across 5 sources, with data through 2026.
PPAC's Indian crude basket endpoint did not return a usable 2022-23 annual row in this ingest; the latest 2026-27 value is year-to-date, not a completed fiscal year.
PPAC petroleum and LNG figures are fiscal-year reports; compare them with calendar-year sources carefully.
TradeStat partner rankings are import values by HS code, not barrel-equivalent, tonne-equivalent, or heat-content totals.
Coal spend uses TradeStat HS 2701 import value, while PPAC supplies the petroleum and LNG value rows.
The Russia history line is not literally zero before 2022; it is small relative to Iraq and Saudi Arabia, then rises sharply after 2022.
PPAC marks the March 2026 LNG value provisional pending final DGCI&S data.
Electricity charts describe the power sector only; transport and industrial fuel use sit outside the grid mix.
Fuel import spend by categorydata file ↗India Energy Derived
Import/export of crude oil and petroleum products, quantitydata file ↗PPAC
Import/export of crude oil and petroleum products, value in dollarsdata file ↗PPAC
Indian crude basket pricedata file ↗PPAC · 2020–2026Fiscal-year average of available monthly Indian crude basket FOB prices from PPAC. Latest fiscal year may be year-to-date.
Liquefied natural gas imports by partnerdata file ↗DGCI&S