🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Hostilities on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Supplies. People line up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in a major Indian city. The ripple effects of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran hinder energy transports through the vital shipping lane, availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian metros and localities as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply is unavailable," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have ceased operations - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are turning to coal and wood and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going." Regional Impact In Mumbai, local news say up to a 20% of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have shrunk with minimal reserves. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and nothing else - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a lack of kitchen fuel. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are varying as supplies come and go. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers note a spike in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are running out of them. Official Position Yet, the officials maintains there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million home fuel subscribers and authorities say cylinders are being prioritized to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Roughly 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the key maritime route, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for home needs, raising domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being reserved for critical services such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been caused by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of motorbikes outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the text reads. India brings in up to most of the petroleum it requires, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in worldwide shipments. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be overstated. India imports almost all of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its oil purchases - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a industry commentator. Based on maritime intelligence and credible market sources, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing 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 key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The primary concern is cooking gas, analysts say. India consumes roughly 1 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 47-50% of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be somewhat alleviated through alternative sourcing. Fuel availability remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the critical issue to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of hoarding. An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering. "Suppliers are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's energy imports may be protected by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People line up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in a major Indian city. The ripple effects of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran hinder energy transports through the vital shipping lane, availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is flooded by video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian metros and localities as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply is unavailable," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have ceased operations - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are turning to coal and wood and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going." Regional Impact In Mumbai, local news say up to a 20% of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have shrunk with minimal reserves. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and nothing else - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a lack of kitchen fuel. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are varying as supplies come and go. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers note a spike in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are running out of them. Official Position Yet, the officials maintains there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million home fuel subscribers and authorities say cylinders are being prioritized to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Roughly 60% of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the key maritime route, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for home needs, raising domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being reserved for critical services such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open". "A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been caused by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of motorbikes outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the text reads. India brings in up to most of the petroleum it requires, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in worldwide shipments. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be overstated. India imports almost all of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its oil purchases - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a industry commentator. Based on maritime intelligence and credible market sources, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing 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 key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The primary concern is cooking gas, analysts say. India consumes roughly 1 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 47-50% of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be somewhat alleviated through alternative sourcing. Fuel availability remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the critical issue to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of hoarding. An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering. "Suppliers are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's energy imports may be protected by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.