+
Indian Households Face Looming Cooking Gas Shortage
OIL & GAS

Indian Households Face Looming Cooking Gas Shortage

Indian families face an acute cooking gas shortage in the coming weeks as the West Asia conflict traps liquefied petroleum gas cargoes in the Persian Gulf and disrupts supply chains. The shortfall is likely to affect tens of millions of households given the fuel's role in domestic cooking and the high reliance on Gulf shipments. Immediate relief depends on cargoes due in March beginning to move within days, according to industry sources.

India is the world's second-largest buyer of LPG and sources more than 90 per cent of its supplies from the Middle East, industry data shows. New long-term contracts with the United States offer a route to diversification but volumes remain far smaller, availability is constrained and freight costs are higher. Even last-minute purchases from the United States are not expected to reach India before April, limiting short-term options.

Market participants say alternative suppliers such as Russia and Argentina could provide incremental shipments but those volumes would be marginal and heavily dependent on freight economics and global spot availability. In liquefied natural gas, or LNG, the situation is already constraining industrial consumers as storage is limited and freight rates have risen sharply. Petronet LNG has declared force majeure on Qatari supplies, producing almost a 50 per cent cut in flows to some clients and underscoring wider stress across fuels.

Indian refiners and government officials have held meetings to discuss contingency plans and assess the resilience of strategic and commercial stocks, which currently cover nearly eight weeks of needs for crude and products. Officials indicated some comfort in stock levels while noting that if the Persian Gulf remains blocked for weeks the country may have to ration supplies and reduce refinery run rates. Backup measures being considered include tapping Russian cargoes loitering in Indian waters and the possibility of halting fuel exports to preserve domestic availability.

Indian families face an acute cooking gas shortage in the coming weeks as the West Asia conflict traps liquefied petroleum gas cargoes in the Persian Gulf and disrupts supply chains. The shortfall is likely to affect tens of millions of households given the fuel's role in domestic cooking and the high reliance on Gulf shipments. Immediate relief depends on cargoes due in March beginning to move within days, according to industry sources. India is the world's second-largest buyer of LPG and sources more than 90 per cent of its supplies from the Middle East, industry data shows. New long-term contracts with the United States offer a route to diversification but volumes remain far smaller, availability is constrained and freight costs are higher. Even last-minute purchases from the United States are not expected to reach India before April, limiting short-term options. Market participants say alternative suppliers such as Russia and Argentina could provide incremental shipments but those volumes would be marginal and heavily dependent on freight economics and global spot availability. In liquefied natural gas, or LNG, the situation is already constraining industrial consumers as storage is limited and freight rates have risen sharply. Petronet LNG has declared force majeure on Qatari supplies, producing almost a 50 per cent cut in flows to some clients and underscoring wider stress across fuels. Indian refiners and government officials have held meetings to discuss contingency plans and assess the resilience of strategic and commercial stocks, which currently cover nearly eight weeks of needs for crude and products. Officials indicated some comfort in stock levels while noting that if the Persian Gulf remains blocked for weeks the country may have to ration supplies and reduce refinery run rates. Backup measures being considered include tapping Russian cargoes loitering in Indian waters and the possibility of halting fuel exports to preserve domestic availability.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

KONE Opens India's First Digital Experience Centre in Pune

KONE, a global elevator and escalator manufacturer, has inaugurated its first Digital Experience Centre (DEC) in India, located in Pune. The facility aims to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and data-driven technologies can enhance customer experiences and improve building operations.The centre was inaugurated by Jussi Herlin, Executive Vice Chair, KONE Corporation; Philippe Delorme, President and CEO, KONE; and Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Infosys.Designed as an interactive customer environment, the facility demonstrates digital solutions cover..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

CII GreenCo Launches Circularity Guidelines for Indian Industry

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) GreenCo Council has launched the CII GreenCo Circularity Guidelines – Pilot Version at the 17th CII GreenCo Waste & Resource Management Summit 2026 in Chennai. The initiative aims to strengthen resource efficiency, waste reduction and circular economy practices across Indian manufacturing and process industries.The guidelines introduce a structured framework with circularity indices covering raw materials, consumables, packaging and other resource inputs. These indicators will help industries assess existing practices, identify opportunities to ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Global Electronics Association Launches IPC-1783-CO2E Standard

The Global Electronics Association has introduced IPC-1783-CO2E, a new international standard aimed at improving consistency, transparency and comparability in product carbon footprint reporting across the electronics manufacturing industry.The standard, titled International Standard for Data Collection and Reporting of CO2 Equivalent (CO2e) Emissions for the Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain, provides industry-specific guidance for collecting, estimating and reporting carbon emissions data.With increasing regulatory requirements and customer expectations, electronics manufacturers face c..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code