Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said India moved more than 12 LPG vessels through the Strait of Hormuz without paying any tolls and rapidly reconfigured refineries to increase cooking gas production, measures that helped the country navigate what he described as the largest energy disruption in modern history.
Referring to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which he said lasted for nearly four months, Puri said the government took a series of emergency measures to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies and protect consumers from the impact of the disruption.
"Even as the world faced one of the worst energy crises and disrupted supply chains, India under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi effectively shielded the energy consumers from any negative impact," he said. "Over 12 Indian LPG vessels were quietly moved out of Hormuz without paying any tolls," Puri wrote in a post on social media platform X.
The minister said India shielded domestic consumers from supply shortages by diversifying crude oil import sources, expanding energy infrastructure and securing alternative LPG supplies from multiple countries. He added that the government's response ensured that cooking gas and fuel supplies remained stable despite the global energy turmoil.
Among the measures undertaken during the crisis was a Rs 10-per-litre reduction in central excise duty on fuel in March. ""Cooking gas going to homes was protected in full and digital authentication code was made mandatory to prevent diversion of this precious supply by black marketers," he mentioned.
Puri said several refineries that had never produced cooking gas were reconfigured within days to boost output. As a result, LPG production increased from 35 thousand metric tonnes (TMT) per day to 54 TMT per day. "Refineries that had never made cooking gas were reconfigured within a few days and production was raised from 35 TMT a day to 54 TMT a day," Puri added.
He further said India established fresh LPG supply arrangements with countries such as Algeria, Japan and Canada, while additional cargoes were secured from the United States to meet domestic demand.