Hardeep Singh Puri said India’s LPG sourcing strategy has changed, with the country now importing a much larger share of its requirements from the US than originally planned.
Published: August 7, 2026, 9:24 PM IST
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Puri said India’s retail fuel network had expanded from 52,000 outlets in 2014 to roughly 107,000 today, and that not one outlet had run out of stock despite global supply pressuresFile image/PTI
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said India’s fuel retail network has remained stable despite recent global disruptionsSpeaking at the CII International Energy Conference & Exhibition, he addressed concerns over E20 ethanol-blended petrol and said extensive testing had started two weeks before an industry body raised the issue on July 28.
Oil marketing companies collected around 2,000 samples daily from petrol stations nationwide using dedicated testing teams, he saidOut of India’s 107,000 retail outlets serving six to seven crore customers a day only four contamination cases were foundHe suggested some parties were presenting the findings out of context.
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Puri said India’s retail fuel network had expanded from 52,000 outlets in 2014 to roughly 107,000 today, and that not one outlet had run out of stock despite global supply pressuresHe attributed this to diversified crude sourcing, resilient infrastructure, trusted international partnerships, technological upgrades and strategic reserves India currently holds about 74 days of reserve capacity, he said.
Puri noted that India is now the world’s third-largest energy consumer and importer, and the fourth-largest refiner, with energy demand growing at roughly three times the global averageCiting International Energy Agency, he said India could account for nearly 30% of the increase in global oil demand between now and 2050He contrasted this with declining refining capacity in Europe and the US, noting Europe is losing around 200,000 barrels per day in refining capacity while the US has not commissioned a new refinery in 50 years.
On LPG, Puri said a brief period of concern over supplies from Gulf nations near the Strait of Hormuz was addressed by ramping up domestic LPG production from about 34,000 to 55,000 metric tonnes a day, achieved partly by reconfiguring refinery outputHe said the United States now supplies about 67 per cent of India’s LPG imports, reducing reliance on the Gulf region.
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The minister also highlighted a collaboration between ONGC, Brazil’s Petrobras and BP to revive production at the Mumbai High offshore fields, discovered in 1974The government will support drilling costs by up to 50 per cent, capped at around 650 crore per well, he said.
On fuel prices, Puri said that while global crude volatility had pushed petrol and diesel prices up marginally in recent years, excise duty cuts announced by the central government in November 2021, May 2022 and March 2026 cumulatively around Rs 10 per litre had kept Indian retail fuel prices among the most affordable globally, notably lower than neighbouring countries as well as several European nationsHe struck a cautiously optimistic note on the outlook, saying that while global uncertainties persist, India remains well-placed to manage future challenges.
With inputs from ANI
