🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Hostilities on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Availability. People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in Chennai. The repercussions of a war being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran impede energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to reduce offerings, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing queues outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian metros and localities as worries over fuel supplies spread. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens. "Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply cannot be found," says a official of the an industry group. Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the south. People are turning to coal and wood and induction stoves to keep kitchens going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, local news say up to a fifth of eateries are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their fuel reserves have depleted with minimal reserves. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a shortage of LPG. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that closures are changing 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 increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the authorities maintains there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as tensions from the regional hostilities impact energy markets. Roughly 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those imports pass through the key maritime route, the strategic bottleneck now effectively closed by the hostilities. The relevant department says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, raising domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "Unnecessary hoarding and accumulation has been caused by misinformation. The normal delivery cycle for home fuel remains about two-and-a-half days," says a senior official. Growing Panic Now the worry is extending beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of scooters outside a gas outlet. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads. India imports up to 90% of the oil it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to problems in global supplies. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be overstated. India imports almost all of its oil. 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 Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments 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 refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and industry information, additional 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. "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 available backup," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the Strait. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Fuel availability remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the real variable to watch in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the concern on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of panic buying. An industry representative claims exploitative practices. "Suppliers are exploiting the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's oil supplies may be cushioned by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in Chennai. The repercussions of a war being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's kitchens. As military actions on Iran impede energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to reduce offerings, close earlier and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing queues outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian metros and localities as worries over fuel supplies spread. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens. "Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply cannot be found," says a official of the an industry group. Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the scarcities are now being experienced across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in northern India, many in the south. People are turning to coal and wood and induction stoves to keep kitchens going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, local news say up to a fifth of eateries are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their fuel reserves have depleted with minimal reserves. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a shortage of LPG. Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that closures are changing 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 increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the authorities maintains there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as tensions from the regional hostilities impact energy markets. Roughly 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those imports pass through the key maritime route, the strategic bottleneck now effectively closed by the hostilities. The relevant department says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for household consumption, raising domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "Unnecessary hoarding and accumulation has been caused by misinformation. The normal delivery cycle for home fuel remains about two-and-a-half days," says a senior official. Growing Panic Now the worry is extending beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of scooters outside a gas outlet. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads. India imports up to 90% of the oil it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to problems in global supplies. According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be overstated. India imports almost all of its oil. 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 Gulf countries. Even if oil shipments 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 refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on shipping data and industry information, additional 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. "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 available backup," an analyst noted. Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness The primary concern is LPG, commentators observe. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the Strait. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Fuel availability remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the real variable to watch in the coming weeks." What may be heightening the concern on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of panic buying. An industry representative claims exploitative practices. "Suppliers are exploiting the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's oil supplies may be cushioned by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.