Hardeep Puri heads to Qatar to secure LNG, LPG supply amid fuel crisis

By Rakesh Sharma and Rajesh Roy

 

Indian Oil Minister Hardeep Puri is heading to Qatar for a two-day visit from Thursday, seizing the opportunity presented by a tentative US-Iran ceasefire to press for priority gas delivery and speedy supply of cooking fuel. 

India depends on imports for half of its natural gas needs and two-thirds of liquefied petroleum gas, often used in kitchens, with most of that supply coming from West Asia. A six-week war in the Persian Gulf has left the South Asian nation to cope with industrial supply shortages and the ripple effect of rising prices.

 

Qatar is India’s single-largest supplier of both LNG and LPG, providing 45 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. After attacks on its giant export facility, the gulf nation has declared force majeure on gas exports and said it could take years to fully recover. 

 

 

Puri is expected to ask Qatar to speed up supply and to prioritise India in LNG, according to people familiar with the matter. They asked not to be named as the details of the meeting are private. The oil ministry announced the last-minute trip in a social media post, but did not provide details.

 

Puri visits barely a day after a ceasefire was agreed between the US and Iran, in exchange for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite positive comments from the White House, that truce remains tentative and traffic through the narrow waterway was still largely halted on Thursday.