New Delhi, Mar 19 (UNI) India’s LNG supply, already under strain following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, is going to be impacted following the air strikes on gas fields in Iran and Qatar, the government said today, even as it acknowledged that “many more tankers” are set to dock in India bringing in crude supplies, amid the escalating war in West Asia.
Amid reports of scarcity in LPG supplies hitting domestic consumers, the government said it is scouting for all alternative sources of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LNG).
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, asked about the attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field, the world’s largest, and the strike on the Qatari gas field, said:
“With the latest strikes, our LNG is going to be impacted. It has been impacted due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But we are in discussion with several LNG countries and with the stakeholders there, to see how best we can secure our energy needs, and there can be unimpeded transit for our cargo.”
Asked about reports that seven tankers carrying Russian oil, that were headed for China have changed course and are now headed for India, the MEA spokesperson said that “several vessels” are to arrive in India as part of efforts to shore up energy security.
“We buy oil from across the world; so if there are tankers coming from X part of the world or Y part of the world, it is normal. We will have many more tankers coming because we are buying energy, crude oil, gas, from various parts of the world, and we have diversified options in this regard, and this will continue.
“We saw that there is news about one particular vessel, but we are buying from many sources including Russia, so why should it become such a big news. There will be several vessels which will be docking, it is a continuous process,” Jaiswal added.
According to reports, a tanker carrying Russian crude that had initially set sail for China has changed course and is now heading towards the New Mangalore port with 1.1 lakh tonnes (7.7 lakh barrels) of Urals crude. Another report said that seven tankers carrying Russian oil, destined for China, have changed course midway and are now headed to India. The development comes after India received a temporary waiver from the US to buy “sanctioned” Russian oil.
Jaiswal also said that India is trying to source LPG from other countries.
“We are trying to buy LPG from any sources, wherever available. Our concern is to fulfil the demand of domestic consumers. And we are looking for numerous options,” he said.
“In order to improve the energy situation, whatever the options we have before us, we will take it up to strengthen the situation,” the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said the government is prioritising domestic consumers, and will see how to supply to commercial establishments. He said the shortage in supply of cooking gas is a matter of concern. “We are trying to diversify supply, we are looking at other parts of the world for our energy security,” he added.
On Wednesday, amid the escalating West Asia war, Israel targeted Iran’s South Pars gas field, the largest in the world. In retaliation, Tehran today caused significant damage to Ras Laffan – the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Qatar.
India imports about 60 percent of its LPG, with 90 percent of it being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Only two shiploads of gas supplies have arrived in India since the Strait was shut.
