🔗 Share this article ‘The Situation is Dire’: War on Iran Tightens India's Cooking-Gas Supplies. People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for domestic use in an urban center. The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's kitchens. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of kitchen fuel are dwindling across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases close completely. Social media is awash with video clips showing queues outside fuel suppliers across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a official of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being noticed across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are adopting coal and wood and induction stoves to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a western metro, local news say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already completely or partially closed as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their cylinder inventory have shrunk with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Commerce will take a hit," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant operators are scrambling to adapt. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are changing as supplies come and go. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation." Retailers observe a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Official Position Yet, the officials insists there is no shortage. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf ripple through energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the hostilities. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, lifting domestic production by about a significant margin. Business-grade fuel is being reserved for critical services such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and hoarding has been caused by false reports. The normal delivery cycle for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a senior official. Growing Panic Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of motorbikes outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to 90% of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in international markets. According to data from market experts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its petroleum. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and industry information, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "A large quantity 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. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness 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 the Strait. Refineries can modify output to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only increase domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just limited availability but uneven distribution - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative claims price gouging. "Retailers are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market 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 cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for domestic use in an urban center. The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's kitchens. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of kitchen fuel are dwindling across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases close completely. Social media is awash with video clips showing queues outside fuel suppliers across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a official of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being noticed across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are adopting coal and wood and induction stoves to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a western metro, local news say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already completely or partially closed as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some restaurants say their cylinder inventory have shrunk with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Commerce will take a hit," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a shortage of kitchen fuel. Restaurant operators are scrambling to adapt. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are changing as supplies come and go. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation." Retailers observe a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Official Position Yet, the officials insists there is no shortage. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf ripple through energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the hostilities. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, lifting domestic production by about a significant margin. Business-grade fuel is being reserved for critical services such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "A degree of anxious stocking and hoarding has been caused by false reports. The normal delivery cycle for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a senior official. Growing Panic Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of motorbikes outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to 90% of the petroleum it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in international markets. According to data from market experts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its petroleum. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and industry information, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day. "A large quantity 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. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness 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 the Strait. Refineries can modify output to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only increase domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just limited availability but uneven distribution - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative claims price gouging. "Retailers are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market 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 cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next cylinder.