🔗 Share this article ‘An Alarming State of Affairs’: Conflict on Iran Constricts India's LPG Availability. People line up to buy LPG tanks for domestic use in an urban center. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's kitchens. As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the vital shipping lane, availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is flooded by video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "The situation is dire. LPG simply cannot be found," says a representative of the an industry group. Most food outlets run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are turning to traditional burners and induction stoves to keep their operations going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, local news say up to a 20% of eateries are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is nothing less than pathetic. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has shut down due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "Menus are being curtailed, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are varying as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the officials maintains there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of household consumers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as geopolitical strain from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about the vast majority of those consignments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, raising domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being prioritised for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been caused by rumors. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about two-and-a-half days," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the worry is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of scooters outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the caption reads. India sources up to 90% of the crude it uses, leaving it highly exposed to problems in worldwide shipments. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be premature. India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the deficit could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on vessel tracking and expert analysis, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The real vulnerability is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through Hormuz. Refineries can modify output to produce a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only raise domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be partially mitigated through diversification. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just tight supply but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative states price gouging. "Distributors are taking advantage of the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a inflated price. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's energy imports may be cushioned by global trade flows. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
People line up to buy LPG tanks for domestic use in an urban center. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's kitchens. As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the vital shipping lane, availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is flooded by video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "The situation is dire. LPG simply cannot be found," says a representative of the an industry group. Most food outlets run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are turning to traditional burners and induction stoves to keep their operations going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, local news say up to a 20% of eateries are already operating at reduced capacity as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is nothing less than pathetic. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has shut down due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "Menus are being curtailed, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are varying as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the officials maintains there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of household consumers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as geopolitical strain from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about the vast majority of those consignments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the war. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, raising domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being prioritised for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been caused by rumors. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about two-and-a-half days," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the worry is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of scooters outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the caption reads. India sources up to 90% of the crude it uses, leaving it highly exposed to problems in worldwide shipments. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be premature. India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the deficit could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on vessel tracking and expert analysis, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The real vulnerability is kitchen fuel, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through Hormuz. Refineries can modify output to produce a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only raise domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be partially mitigated through diversification. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just tight supply but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative states price gouging. "Distributors are taking advantage of the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a inflated price. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's energy imports may be cushioned by global trade flows. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next gas canister.