🔗 Share this article ‘The Situation is Dire’: Hostilities on Iran Tightens India's Cooking-Gas Availability. People queue up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in Chennai. The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's households. As aerial attacks on Iran impede energy shipments through the key maritime chokepoint, availability of kitchen fuel are tightening across India, compelling restaurants to shorten food lists, reduce operating times and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the most severe shortage is in food service establishments. "The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are turning to coal and wood and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, local news say up to a 20% of hospitality businesses are already completely or partially closed as cylinder availability dry up. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their fuel reserves have depleted with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has shut down due to a shortage of LPG. Restaurant owners are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers report a spike in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the government maintains there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million domestic LPG users and spokespersons say supplies are being prioritized to households as geopolitical strain from the regional hostilities affect energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about the vast majority of those imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The relevant department says that it directed refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, raising domestic production by about a significant margin. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "just and open". "Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been caused by rumors. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the anxiety is extending beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "Concern is genuine," the text reads. India brings in up to most of the crude it requires, leaving it highly exposed to problems in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be exaggerated. India imports 90% of its petroleum. Around a significant portion of its crude oil imports - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the deficit could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a sector expert. Based on maritime intelligence and credible market sources, additional 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 a substantial volume of barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern The real vulnerability is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the Strait. Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains fairly adequate. Cooking gas supply is the critical issue to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just scarcity but uneven distribution - and the common threat of panic buying. An industry representative claims exploitative practices. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's energy imports may be buffered by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next refill.
People queue up to buy fuel canisters for household consumption in Chennai. The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's households. As aerial attacks on Iran impede energy shipments through the key maritime chokepoint, availability of kitchen fuel are tightening across India, compelling restaurants to shorten food lists, reduce operating times and in some cases shut down altogether. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the most severe shortage is in food service establishments. "The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on industrial fuel canisters or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are turning to coal and wood and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In Mumbai, local news say up to a 20% of hospitality businesses are already completely or partially closed as cylinder availability dry up. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their fuel reserves have depleted with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A restaurant in a southern city which has shut down due to a shortage of LPG. Restaurant owners are seeking alternatives. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers report a spike in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are running out of them. Authority's View Yet, the government maintains there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million domestic LPG users and spokespersons say supplies are being prioritized to households as geopolitical strain from the regional hostilities affect energy markets. About 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about the vast majority of those imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The relevant department says that it directed refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, raising domestic production by about a significant margin. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "just and open". "Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been caused by rumors. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative. Spreading Anxiety Now the anxiety is extending beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "Concern is genuine," the text reads. India brings in up to most of the crude it requires, leaving it highly exposed to problems in international markets. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be exaggerated. India imports 90% of its petroleum. Around a significant portion of its crude oil imports - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the deficit could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a sector expert. Based on maritime intelligence and credible market sources, additional 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 a substantial volume of barrels a day. "A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern The real vulnerability is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the Strait. Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains fairly adequate. Cooking gas supply is the critical issue to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just scarcity but uneven distribution - and the common threat of panic buying. An industry representative claims exploitative practices. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's energy imports may be buffered by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next refill.