India is expanding liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) procurement beyond the Gulf, securing cargoes from the US, Norway, Canada and Russia, India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri said in a press briefing. The world’s second-largest LPG importer, is seeking to stabilize supplies after continued disruptions to Gulf shipping routes.

Gas remains India’s Achilles’ heel: The minister claimed that domestic cooking gas supply remains stable, however, panic buying and shortages have been widely reported. Emergency measures were invoked requiring refiners to maximise LPG output, limit sales to industrial users and safeguard supplies for households. The Environment Ministry has in the meantime allowed temporary use of alternative fuels like biomass, kerosene and coal in restaurants and hotels to ease demand pressures.

Crude supply is secure, for now: India has diversified crude oil imports so that roughly 70% volumes now bypass the Strait of Hormuz, reducing exposure to shipping disruptions, the minister claimed. However, India lacks the strategic storage to weather a prolonged blockade of Hormuz.

Meanwhile- Gas Authority of India has secured a liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from Oman, Reuters reports, citing unnamed sources. The cargo, purchased from a European trader, was priced at a steep USD 17-20 per MMBtu and is scheduled to arrive in India next week, the newswire added. The purchase indicates that India is turning to high-priced spot cargoes to bridge emergency supply gaps as Gulf flows remain uncertain.

Cooking gas prices hiked

The government has raised the price of the 14.2 kg household LPG cylinder by about 7%—the first revision in nearly a year—due to tighter availability, Bloomberg reports. Prices for subsidized cylinders were increased by 11%. The government's halt of LPG supplies for commercial use has driven some businesses to informal markets, where commercial cylinders are sold at a price hike of up to 18%.

Induction stove sales surge

Indian households are increasingly turning to electric induction stoves as concerns over cooking gas availability drive a surge in demand, Reuters reports. Several models were unavailable on online platforms as electric stove sales on Amazon India rose more than 30-fold. Kitchen appliance maker TTK Prestige says demand has roughly tripled, prompting the company to raise plant utilization to 100% from about 70% and increase staffing by around 15%.

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