🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: Conflict on Iran Squeezes India's Kitchen Fuel Supplies. People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in Chennai. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens. As aerial attacks on Iran hinder energy deliveries through the key maritime chokepoint, stocks of cooking gas are shrinking across India, forcing restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "Numerous restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the southern states. People are adopting coal and wood and electric cookers to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, accounts say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some restaurants say their fuel reserves have shrunk with minimal reserves. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a lack of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers report a spike in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Official Position Yet, the government maintains there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets. Approximately six out of ten of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the vital passage now effectively closed by the conflict. The oil ministry says that it directed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, raising domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being allocated for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "just and open". "Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been caused by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the anxiety is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of motorbikes outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the description reads. India brings in up to most of the petroleum it consumes, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in global supplies. According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be overstated. India imports almost all of its crude oil. Around half of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a sector expert. 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 gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million 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. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The real vulnerability is LPG, experts note. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the Strait. Refineries can modify output to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through diversification. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. Cooking gas supply is the key factor to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the familiar spectre of panic buying. An industry representative claims price gouging. "Retailers are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders 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 petroleum stocks may be buffered by global trade flows. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People wait in lines to buy fuel canisters for home cooking in Chennai. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens. As aerial attacks on Iran hinder energy deliveries through the key maritime chokepoint, stocks of cooking gas are shrinking across India, forcing restaurants to reduce offerings, shorten hours and in some cases close completely. Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the a major restaurant body. Most restaurants run either on industrial fuel canisters or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "Numerous restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the southern states. People are adopting coal and wood and electric cookers to keep kitchens going." City-Specific Fallout In a financial hub, accounts say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as business fuel stocks dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some restaurants say their fuel reserves have shrunk with minimal reserves. "We can only make coffee and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A eatery in a southern city which has closed its doors due to a lack of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape." Retailers report a spike in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Official Position Yet, the government maintains there is no shortage. India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets. Approximately six out of ten of India's LPG is imported, and about nine out of ten of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the vital passage now effectively closed by the conflict. The oil ministry says that it directed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, raising domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being allocated for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "just and open". "Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been caused by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a ministry representative. Widening Concern Now the anxiety is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of motorbikes outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the description reads. India brings in up to most of the petroleum it consumes, leaving it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in global supplies. According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be overstated. India imports almost all of its crude oil. Around half of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a sector expert. 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 gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million 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. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The real vulnerability is LPG, experts note. India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the Strait. Refineries can modify output to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be somewhat alleviated through diversification. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. Cooking gas supply is the key factor to watch in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the familiar spectre of panic buying. An industry representative claims price gouging. "Retailers are taking advantage of the situation - black-marketing cylinders 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 petroleum stocks may be buffered by global trade flows. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next cylinder.