Indian Gas Exchange growth faces liquidity challenge
Indian Gas Exchange market development is facing a structural liquidity challenge despite India’s push toward transparent gas trading and market-based pricing reforms. The latest Indian Gas Exchange data shows IGX still accounts for only around 3% of India’s total gas consumption even after completing five years of operations. While the exchange has captured nearly 20% of the country’s spot gas market, overall traded gas volumes remain limited due to long-term contracts, administered pricing systems and sector-linked gas allocation mechanisms. Industry stakeholders warn that deeper reforms including derivatives and long-tenor contracts may arrive before the physical gas market develops sufficient liquidity depth. Analysts also point to challenges including high LNG prices, pipeline access constraints, limited storage and price-sensitive industrial demand. Indian Petroplus analysis suggests India has successfully built the institutional framework for a gas trading market, but the underlying traded gas pool remains too narrow to support a fully mature and liquid gas exchange ecosystem.








