🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Hostilities on Iran Tightens India's Cooking-Gas Availability. People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in Chennai. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's households. As aerial attacks on Iran impede energy deliveries through the vital shipping lane, supplies of kitchen fuel are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to shorten food lists, reduce operating times and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian metros and localities as worries over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the worst hit: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or direct gas lines, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the south. People are switching to solid fuels and electric cookers to keep kitchens going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, local news say up to a fifth of eateries are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no other dishes - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in Chennai which has shut down due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are varying as supplies ebb and flow. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. 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 government insists there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million domestic LPG users and officials say cylinders are being redirected to households as geopolitical strain from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now largely blocked by the hostilities. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for household consumption, enhancing domestic production by about a quarter. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the worry is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the caption reads. India brings in up to a vast majority of the crude it requires, leaving it highly exposed to problems in worldwide shipments. According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its oil. Around a significant portion of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a sector expert. Based on vessel tracking and industry information, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, reducing India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is kitchen fuel, analysts say. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through Hormuz. Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. Cooking gas supply is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative alleges exploitative practices. "Distributors are exploiting the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold at a premium." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by global trade flows. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in Chennai. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's households. As aerial attacks on Iran impede energy deliveries through the vital shipping lane, supplies of kitchen fuel are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to shorten food lists, reduce operating times and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian metros and localities as worries over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the worst hit: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or direct gas lines, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the south. People are switching to solid fuels and electric cookers to keep kitchens going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, local news say up to a fifth of eateries are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some establishments say their gas stocks have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no other dishes - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in Chennai which has shut down due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are varying as supplies ebb and flow. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. 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 government insists there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million domestic LPG users and officials say cylinders are being redirected to households as geopolitical strain from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now largely blocked by the hostilities. The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for household consumption, enhancing domestic production by about a quarter. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been sparked by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the worry is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the caption reads. India brings in up to a vast majority of the crude it requires, leaving it highly exposed to problems in worldwide shipments. According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its oil. Around a significant portion of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a sector expert. Based on vessel tracking and industry information, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, reducing India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is kitchen fuel, analysts say. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through Hormuz. Refineries can adjust processes to produce a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. Cooking gas supply is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling. An industry representative alleges exploitative practices. "Distributors are exploiting the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold at a premium." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by global trade flows. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.