New Delhi: India has begun securing additional liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shipments from countries including the United States, Norway, Canada and Russia as global supply pressures intensify due to disruptions in the Gulf region.
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the country had earlier sourced nearly 60 per cent of its LPG requirements from Gulf nations but has now diversified imports to ensure stable availability.
Addressing Parliament, Puri said the government has invoked emergency powers to direct refiners to maximise LPG production while reducing supply to industrial users so that domestic cooking gas requirements remain fully protected.
The minister assured that the supply cycle for households remains unchanged and that India’s estimated 333 million LPG connections continue to receive regular deliveries.
To manage demand, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has advised state pollution control boards to temporarily allow hotels, restaurants and the hospitality sector to use alternate fuels such as biomass, kerosene and coal for one month.
Puri said panic over cooking gas availability was largely driven by consumer anxiety rather than an actual shortage.
The supply situation tightened after global shipping routes were affected by the conflict involving the Iran, which disrupted cargo movement through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Oil marketing companies have been instructed to allocate about 20 per cent of the average monthly commercial LPG demand beginning Thursday, in coordination with state governments, to prevent hoarding and black marketing.
India consumed around 33.15 million metric tonnes of LPG last year, with imports accounting for roughly 60 per cent of total demand.
The minister also said India’s crude oil supply remains stable as non-Hormuz sourcing has increased to nearly 70 per cent of the country’s total crude imports.
He added that petrol and diesel availability remains secure and liquefied natural gas cargoes are continuing to arrive through alternative shipping routes.
According to Puri, India has adequate domestic gas production and LNG supply arrangements to sustain energy requirements even if the regional conflict continues for an extended period.