🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: War on Iran Constricts India's Cooking-Gas Availability. People wait in lines to buy LPG tanks for home cooking in an urban center. The repercussions of a war being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now impacting India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy deliveries through the key maritime chokepoint, stocks of kitchen fuel are dwindling across India, compelling restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is flooded by video clips showing queues outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Businesses appear the worst hit: the biggest crunch is in restaurant kitchens. "The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have ceased operations - some in the capital, many in the southern states. People are adopting traditional burners and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, local news say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already completely or partially closed as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some eateries say their gas stocks have dwindled with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is nothing less than pathetic. Commerce will take a hit," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are changing as supplies ebb and flow. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation." Retailers report a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the officials insists there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say supplies are being prioritized to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is imported, and about the vast majority of those shipments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the conflict. The petroleum ministry says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about a quarter. 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 accumulation has been caused by rumors. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the concern is extending beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India brings in up to 90% of the crude it consumes, leaving it highly exposed to problems in worldwide shipments. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its petroleum. Around half of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from regional suppliers. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million 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. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The primary concern is LPG, analysts say. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - most of it through Hormuz. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains largely sufficient. Kitchen fuel stocks is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of hoarding. An industry representative alleges price gouging. "Distributors are taking advantage of the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold at a premium." For now, India's energy imports may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People wait in lines to buy LPG tanks for home cooking in an urban center. The repercussions of a war being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now impacting India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran disrupt energy deliveries through the key maritime chokepoint, stocks of kitchen fuel are dwindling across India, compelling restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is flooded by video clips showing queues outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Businesses appear the worst hit: the biggest crunch is in restaurant kitchens. "The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a representative of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have ceased operations - some in the capital, many in the southern states. People are adopting traditional burners and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, local news say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already completely or partially closed as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some eateries say their gas stocks have dwindled with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is nothing less than pathetic. Commerce will take a hit," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a scarcity of cooking gas. Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are changing as supplies ebb and flow. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation." Retailers report a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the officials insists there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say supplies are being prioritized to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is imported, and about the vast majority of those shipments pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the conflict. The petroleum ministry says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about a quarter. 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 accumulation has been caused by rumors. The standard supply timeline for domestic LPG remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the concern is extending beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads. India brings in up to 90% of the crude it consumes, leaving it highly exposed to problems in worldwide shipments. According to data from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated. India imports almost all of its petroleum. Around half of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from regional suppliers. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a industry commentator. Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million 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. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The primary concern is LPG, analysts say. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - most of it through Hormuz. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains largely sufficient. Kitchen fuel stocks is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just limited availability but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of hoarding. An industry representative alleges price gouging. "Distributors are taking advantage of the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold at a premium." For now, India's energy imports may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.