🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Conflict on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Availability. People queue up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in an urban center. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly a significant distance away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy deliveries through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of cooking gas are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing queues outside fuel suppliers across Indian urban and rural areas as worries over fuel supplies grow. Businesses appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most food outlets run either on commercial LPG cylinders or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Numerous restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the southern states. People are switching to solid fuels and induction stoves to keep their operations going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, media reports say up to a significant portion of hotels and restaurants are already completely or partially closed as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have depleted with little backup. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no food items - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has closed its doors due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are skipping midday meals and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies ebb and flow. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. It's a fluid situation." Retailers report a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Government Stance Yet, the authorities maintains there is sufficient stock. India has more than a vast number of domestic LPG users and officials say supplies are being reallocated to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Approximately a majority of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the critical waterway, the vital passage now effectively closed by the conflict. The oil ministry says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Non-domestic supply is being prioritised for critical services such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "Some panic booking and stockpiling has been caused by rumors. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Growing Panic Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to most of the crude it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to interruptions in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be overstated. India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around half of its oil purchases - 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 disrupted, the shortfall could be partly made up 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, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a viable alternative," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is kitchen fuel, analysts say. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to extract 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: "Crude supply risk can be somewhat alleviated through alternative sourcing. Processed petroleum stocks remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative claims 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 accumulated and sold at a premium." For now, India's energy imports may be buffered by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People queue up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in an urban center. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly a significant distance away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy deliveries through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of cooking gas are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing queues outside fuel suppliers across Indian urban and rural areas as worries over fuel supplies grow. Businesses appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the National Restaurant Association of India. Most food outlets run either on commercial LPG cylinders or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Numerous restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the southern states. People are switching to solid fuels and induction stoves to keep their operations going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, media reports say up to a significant portion of hotels and restaurants are already completely or partially closed as business fuel stocks tighten. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have depleted with little backup. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no food items - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has closed its doors due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are skipping midday meals and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies ebb and flow. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. It's a fluid situation." Retailers report a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are facing stockouts. Government Stance Yet, the authorities maintains there is sufficient stock. India has more than a vast number of domestic LPG users and officials say supplies are being reallocated to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets. Approximately a majority of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the critical waterway, the vital passage now effectively closed by the conflict. The oil ministry says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Non-domestic supply is being prioritised for critical services such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent". "Some panic booking and stockpiling has been caused by rumors. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Growing Panic Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India imports up to most of the crude it requires, leaving it particularly vulnerable to interruptions in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be overstated. India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around half of its oil purchases - 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 disrupted, the shortfall could be partly made up 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, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a viable alternative," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The key weakness is kitchen fuel, analysts say. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to extract 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: "Crude supply risk can be somewhat alleviated through alternative sourcing. Processed petroleum stocks remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the usual problem of stockpiling. An industry representative claims 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 accumulated and sold at a premium." For now, India's energy imports may be buffered by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.