Petroleum Sector

US secondary sanctions on Iran could further hit India's basmati exports, while disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten freight costs and crude-oil supply risks

The government has for the first time fixed maximum cooking gas LPG production targets for individual public- and private-sector refineries and upstream companies, as it seeks to build a domestic supply buffer after the West Asia conflict exposed the country's vulnerability to disruptions in imported cooking gas. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, in an order issued on August 13, has specified maximum LPG production levels for 21 refineries and upstream companies, with combined production potential set at 63,810 tonnes a day -- more than double the domestic LPG output in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 and about 70 per cent of the country's daily consumption. The production limits will kick in whenever there is a supply constraint. The lion's share of the planned output has been set from Reliance Industries Ltd's older refinery, which would have to produce up to 18,000 tonnes a day of LPG, according to the order. India consumed 33.2 million tonnes of LPG in the 2025-26 ..

BP India Chairman Kartikeya Dube says India should expand strategic reserves, diversify energy sources and increase domestic oil and gas production to enhance energy security

The plan would ​extend India's strategic reserves beyond crude oil for the first time, with stockpiles designed to cover about two months of ‌crude and LNG demand, and around six weeks of LPG

The government said only two cases of chloride contamination were found in the entire country

India's highest annual addition of refining capacity in decades comes even as the world faces a severe shortage of oil products

The government on Monday said it has not assessed the proportion of vehicles in the country that are fully compatible with E20 petrol, but maintained that extensive studies and field trials have found the fuel to be safe for use under prescribed standards. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said, "Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) have informed that no such assessment has been done by them" of the percentage of vehicles currently compatible with E20 fuel (petrol doped with 20 per cent ethanol). The minister said the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme had been implemented through a phased and scientifically validated process involving NITI Aayog, automobile manufacturers, oil marketing companies, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) and other technical institutions. He said laboratory studies

There has been little meaningful activity in India's strategic petroleum reserve programme over the past decade

The government has not yet decided to raise ethanol blending in petrol beyond the current 20 per cent level, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told the Rajya Sabha on Monday, adding that any future increase would follow further scientific study and consultation with industry. "So far, no decision has been taken by the government for increasing ethanol blending with petrol beyond 20 per cent," Gopi said in a written reply to a question. Any move higher would come "only after detailed scientific and technical studies and consultations with all relevant stakeholders, including automobile manufacturers, Oil Marketing Companies and research institutions," he said. Gopi said India reached the 20 per cent blending target five years ahead of schedule, with average blending rising from about 1.53 per cent in 2013-14 to 20 per cent in the 2025-26 supply year, after more than two decades of phased rollout. Since 2014-15, he said, the programme has saved over 1.97 ...

ONGC has approved a 1.75 MT strategic petroleum reserve in Mangaluru, expanding India's emergency oil storage capacity amid heightened global supply risks

The West Asia crisis has intensified concerns over India's ability to withstand global oil supply disruptions

A tripartite pact - amid the promise of removing Afspa from almost all of the Northeast - revives hydrocarbon exploration along the Assam-Nagaland border after decades of dormancy

There is no alternative but to give the correct pricing signal to the market and consumers. Appeals and calls for conservation won't work

The government has imposed a special additional excise duty to discourage exports. Crude oil supplies are lower, so is refining throughput

Indian state fuel retailers have raised prices for liquefied petroleum gas for industrial customers and jet fuel rates for foreign carriers

India's electronics exports surge on smartphone demand, narrowing the gap with oil shipments to a record low and reshaping the country's export mix

Regulator extends PNG drive till June 2026 to accelerate CGD rollout and meet rising demand amid LPG supply concerns and push for cleaner energy adoption

Kerosene, once widely subsidised and used in India, was phased out with LPG expansion; now, amid global supply disruptions, the fuel is making a temporary return to households

Petrol and diesel remain outside the GST framework, giving governments flexibility to impose excise duty, cess and VAT without the constraints of tax sharing

Government says land acquisition for strategic petroleum reserve projects in Odisha and Karnataka is progressing, as energy security gains focus amid global uncertainties