No need to panic: India boosts LPG output 30% despite Iran tensions

India has increased domestic cooking gas production by 30 per cent and has sufficient fuel stocks to meet demand despite supply worries triggered by tensions in West Asia, the government said on Friday.

At an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi, officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said refineries across the country are operating at full capacity to ensure stable fuel supplies.

Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery) in the ministry, said domestic refineries are currently producing significantly higher volumes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

“The government is making continuous efforts to ensure that households and essential institutions receive uninterrupted supplies of cooking gas,” she said.

“LPG supplies are being prioritised for households, hospitals and educational institutions,” Sharma added.

Officials acknowledged that LPG supplies remain under pressure due to global constraints linked to the West Asia crisis, though there has been no disruption in distribution across the country.

“Petrol and diesel are available in adequate quantities at all petrol pumps... Regarding LPG, I would like to state that this remains a matter of concern for us. Nevertheless, despite this situation, no dry out has been reported at any of our 25,000 distributors. I would like to appeal to all fellow citizens not to give credence to rumours and to refrain from engaging in panic buying,” said Sujata Sharma.

The government said commercial LPG cylinders have also been made available to state authorities so that supplies can be distributed according to priority where needed.

India’s refining sector is operating at full strength to maintain fuel availability, officials said.

“As far as crude oil is concerned, we possess a refining capacity of 258 million metric tons. We are self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel; consequently, there is no need to import these fuels into India. All our refineries are currently operating at 100% capacity or higher. The refineries hold adequate inventories of crude oil, and furthermore, supplies are being consistently maintained,” said Sharma.

India has nearly 100,000 fuel retail outlets nationwide, none of which have reported shortages of petrol or diesel, officials said.

The government also said the supply of piped natural gas (PNG) to households and compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles remains stable across the country.

“The supply of PNG (Piped Natural Gas) to domestic consumers and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is being ensured without any interruptions or cuts. Given this situation, there is absolutely no need for panic...Furthermore, regarding commercial consumers in our major urban cities and centres - many of whom are currently facing difficulties due to their reliance on LPG supplies - the Government of India is making every effort to address their concerns. We appeal to all such commercial consumers to contact their local CGD (City Gas Distribution) network provider or their designated dealer to obtain a PNG connection,” said Sharma.

Around 15 million households in India are currently connected to PNG networks, while another 6 million homes located near existing gas pipelines can easily obtain PNG connections, officials said.

- with inputs from agencies