🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: War on Iran Squeezes India's LPG Availability. People queue up to buy cooking gas cylinders for household consumption in Chennai. The shockwaves of a conflict being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran hinder energy deliveries through the vital shipping lane, stocks of cooking gas are dwindling across India, compelling restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is awash with video clips showing lines outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the hardest struck: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply isn't available," says a representative of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or direct gas lines, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are adopting traditional burners and electric cookers to keep their operations going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, media reports say up to a fifth of eateries are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A food joint in Chennai which has shut down due to a lack of LPG. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Menus are being curtailed, some are opening only for dinner and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers note a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Official Position Yet, the officials states there is sufficient stock. India has more than 300 million household consumers and authorities say stocks are being prioritized to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf ripple through energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about the vast majority of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now significantly disrupted by the war. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about 25%. Business-grade fuel is being reserved for essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "just and open". "Some panic booking and hoarding has been sparked by false reports. The regular refill period for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a senior official. Growing Panic Now the worry is extending beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to most of the crude it uses, leaving it highly exposed to interruptions in worldwide shipments. According to reports from market experts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its petroleum. Around half of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from regional suppliers. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and expert analysis, increased Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The key weakness is LPG, experts note. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only raise domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the concern on the ground is not just scarcity but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of hoarding. An industry representative alleges exploitative practices. "Distributors are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and auctioned off." For now, India's energy imports may be protected by international market dynamics. But in homes across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
People queue up to buy cooking gas cylinders for household consumption in Chennai. The shockwaves of a conflict being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran hinder energy deliveries through the vital shipping lane, stocks of cooking gas are dwindling across India, compelling restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is awash with video clips showing lines outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the hardest struck: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply isn't available," says a representative of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or direct gas lines, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are adopting traditional burners and electric cookers to keep their operations going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, media reports say up to a fifth of eateries are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A food joint in Chennai which has shut down due to a lack of LPG. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Menus are being curtailed, some are opening only for dinner and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers note a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Official Position Yet, the officials states there is sufficient stock. India has more than 300 million household consumers and authorities say stocks are being prioritized to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf ripple through energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about the vast majority of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now significantly disrupted by the war. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about 25%. Business-grade fuel is being reserved for essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "just and open". "Some panic booking and hoarding has been sparked by false reports. The regular refill period for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a senior official. Growing Panic Now the worry is extending beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to most of the crude it uses, leaving it highly exposed to interruptions in worldwide shipments. According to reports from market experts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its petroleum. Around half of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from regional suppliers. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and expert analysis, increased Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The key weakness is LPG, experts note. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only raise domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the concern on the ground is not just scarcity but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of hoarding. An industry representative alleges exploitative practices. "Distributors are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and auctioned off." For now, India's energy imports may be protected by international market dynamics. But in homes across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next gas canister.