‘The Situation is Dire’: War on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Availability.
The repercussions of a war being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now being felt in India's homes.
As aerial attacks on Iran impede energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, availability of cooking gas are shrinking across India, compelling restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases close completely.
Social media is filled with video clips showing queues outside fuel suppliers across Indian urban and rural areas as anxieties over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in food service establishments.
"Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the National Restaurant Association of India.
Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas, and the scarcities are now being felt across the country. "Numerous restaurants have shut down - some in Delhi, many in the south. People are switching to solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going."
City-Specific Fallout
In a financial hub, media reports 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 tech and coastal hubs, some eateries say their fuel reserves have dwindled with minimal reserves. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and nothing else - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru.
Restaurant owners are rushing to adjust. "Menus are being curtailed, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are changing as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation."
Retailers observe a spike in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are selling out quickly.
Government Stance
Yet, the government states there is no shortage.
India has more than 30 crore home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the regional hostilities impact energy markets.
About six out of ten of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the key maritime route, the vital passage now significantly disrupted by the conflict.
The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to maximise LPG output for domestic use, enhancing domestic production by about 25%. Business-grade fuel is being allocated for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "just and open".
"Some panic booking and hoarding has been caused by false reports. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a ministry representative.
Growing Panic
Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "The panic is real," the description reads.
According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security 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 waterway, largely from Middle Eastern nations.
Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly compensated for by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst.
Based on shipping data and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day.
"Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted.
LPG: The Real Vulnerability
The real vulnerability is LPG, commentators observe.
India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the chokepoint.
Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports.
In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be moderately reduced through diversification. Fuel availability remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks."
What may be intensifying the concern on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the familiar spectre of hoarding.
An industry representative alleges price gouging.
"Distributors 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 sold to the highest bidder."
For now, India's petroleum stocks may be buffered by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
