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Informist, Friday, Apr. 10, 2026

 

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--Govt: Deferred coal plant maintenance for 3 mos amid West Asia war 
--CONTEXT: Government officials briefing media on West Asia war 
--Govt:Thermal power plants' current coal stock 55 mln tn, enough for 19 days 
--Govt: Domestic LPG production up, close to 60% of current needs 
--Govt: Ministers visiting gulf countries to strengthen energy supplies 
--Govt: Qatar reaffirmed intent to remain reliable energy supplier to India 
--Govt:India purchasing energy from Russia, America, Australia, among others 
--Govt:See 13-27 GW extra demand for induction-based cooking amid LPG crisis

 

NEW DELHI – India is continuing to purchase energy from various strategic sources, including Russia, the US, and Australia, among others, to meet its huge energy demand, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the petroleum and natural gas ministry, said Friday. "Last year, India consumed more than 240-250 million tonnes of petroleum products...that is the type of requirement we are having, and our priority is to source the energy so that we can meet our domestic demand," Sharma said while briefing the media on the West Asia war.

India is currently facing the worst energy crisis in decades with a severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas, a fuel primarily used for cooking, due to the war in West Asia. India imports about 60% of its overall cooking gas requirement. Of this, around 90% is routed through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway shut by Tehran after Israel and the US launched joint military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

 

India's crude oil purchase is also being driven by the technical and commercial feasibility of the quality of the crude and the commercial viability for refiners to purchase it, Sharma added.

 

Asked whether New Delhi will continue purchasing oil from Moscow after the US' 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to buy Russian oil ended this week, Sharma said India's oil imports have been governed by commercial decisions, keeping in mind the massive demand. The US in the first week of March had allowed India to buy oil from Russia--applicable to only cargoes stranded at sea--to help alleviate supply constraints from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

 

According to Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar are meeting their counterparts in the Gulf region to ensure continuous supply of energy to India and strengthen energy security. Singh is currently in Qatar, an important supplier of energy to India. Doha has "reaffirmed its commitment to remain a reliable energy supplier to India," Jaiswal said about Singh's meeting with Qatar's Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi in Doha. 

 

Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday and Sunday to bolster New Delhi's energy supplies, Jaiswal said. He added that India is firming up an agreement to supply energy to neighbouring countries, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, to alleviate some of their pressures. 

 

While the impact of disruption in energy supplies has been felt globally, India's primary concern is related to the availability of LPG. Sharma said domestic production of LPG is up, and is close to 60% of India's current needs. "Crude inventory is sufficient, refineries working in optimum capacity," she said. So far, no dry-outs have been reported in any petrol or diesel outlets, she added. 

 

POWER FOR ENERGY

India has had to rely on alternate sources of energy to mitigate the adverse impact of fuel shortage, including depending on induction or electricity-based cooking to save LPG. Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency K. C. Panigrahy said the government is expecting 13-27 gigawatts of additional demand for energy due to a shift to induction cooking amid the ongoing LPG crisis. 

 

With thermal power emerging important amid the LPG crunch, the government has also deferred the maintenance work at coal-based power plants for three months to meet India's current demands. Normally, coal-based power plants go into planned maintenance during this period. Considering the requirements, and the loss of certain gas-based capacity, the maintenance was deferred and this ensured availability of 10,000 megawatts of power, Piyush Singh, additional secretary in the power ministry, who was also present at the briefing, said. 

 

Coal availability across the supply chain remains robust, Singh said, adding that stocks at thermal power plants stands at around 55 million tonnes — sufficient to meet consumption needs for the next 19 days, based on recent usage levels. 

 

The government is also targetting capacity expansion of around 22,000 MW over the next three months. "Out of this, thermal capacity expansion of 3,500 megawatt, solar of 10,000 megawatt, wind around 2,500 megawatt, battery-energy system 1,900 megawatt, hybrid – solar plus wind – around 3,460 megawatt, hydro is around 750 megawatt, and pump storage capacity of 250 megawatt," Singh said. "With this, our power availability will also go up."

 

Singh also said India is on track to meet its capacity expansion plan of adding 97,000 MW by 2031-32 (Apr-Mar). "Almost 40,000 MW is already under construction, and the balance 30,000 MW is under bidding process," he said.  End

 

Reported by Priyasmita Dutta

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

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