NEW DELHI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - India's oil imports from Iran rose 53 percent in September on the month to 294,400 barrels per day (bpd), tanker discharge data made available to Reuters shows, as MRPL resumed buying normal volumes from Tehran after a gap of two months and the sanctions-hit nation got a new client HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd, part owned by steel tycoon L.N. Mittal. Oil imports from Iran in September more than doubled from 131,400 bpd a year ago when Essar Oil shut its Vadinar refinery for an upgrade. However, in the first half of 2012/13, India's oil imports from Iran fell 19 percent to 257,000 bpd, even lower than planned, potentially helping New Delhi win a renewal of a waiver from U.S. sanctions. For a story, see The following table shows India's imports from various countries according to tanker discharge information. Imports include condensate. Volumes are in '000 bpd.
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