Panaji, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday stated that India navigated energy supply disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by expanding its LPG import sources to 41 countries, asserting that domestic cooking gas availability remained uninterrupted throughout the crisis.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 29th Energy Technology and Innovation Meet here, Puri noted that a boost in domestic production - from 34,000 to 55,000 metric tonnes per day - alongside imports from the US and Algeria helped offset Gulf supply shocks.
He said that India's experience during the crisis demonstrated that while geopolitical disruptions cannot always be anticipated, their impact can be minimised through advance preparedness and coordinated action.
"A crisis is not something that you can anticipate. But without anticipating the nature of a crisis, or the specifics of the manner in which it unfolds, you can always start preparing yourself," he said.
The challenge for policymakers was to address emerging supply pressures before they escalated into a crisis, he said, adding that preventive measures had helped the country navigate the disruption without the widespread unavailability of domestic LPG cylinders.
Puri said India expanded its import sources from 27 to 41 countries and domestic LPG production rose from 34,000 metric tonnes per day to 55,000 metric tonnes per day, helping offset disruptions in supplies from the Gulf.
He pointed out that India also diversified its LPG procurement, with the US emerging as a major supplier following a deal signed in January to import 10 per cent of the country's LPG requirements from there.
"Today, we are importing 67 per cent of our LPG from the United States," he said, adding that India also began sourcing the fuel from Algeria and other available suppliers.
The increase in domestic production, coupled with higher refining capacity and coordinated efforts across the energy supply chain, played a crucial role in managing the disruption, he said.
Puri noted that one of the major challenges during the crisis was the rumours about LPG shortages, which triggered a sharp, unexplained increase in cylinder bookings.
Against a normal average daily demand of 51 to 52 lakh cylinders, indents spiked to nearly 90 lakh, he said, questioning the rationale behind such a steep increase.
"There is no conceivable way that the demand can increase two-fold," he said, describing the spike as evidence of panic-driven demand rather than consumption-led.
The government responded on multiple fronts, with the petroleum secretary writing to chief secretaries of states and state civil supplies departments conducting raids to check hoarding and the diversion of cylinders, Puri said.
Authorities seized cylinders during these operations, following which bookings declined, he said, asserting that the country never reached the stage of unavailability.
Referring to the West Asia crisis, Puri said India was dealing with the fallout of a conflict it had not initiated and could appeal to the parties involved to pursue diplomacy instead of war, but such appeals had limitations when parties were determined to continue hostilities.
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