Govt raises gas allocation for fertiliser sector to 90% as India set to get 62,000 tonnes LPG this week

INdia is scheduled to acquire deuce cargos of o'er 62,000 tonnes liquified rock oil gas this week as oil companies continue to meet fuel demand of over 332 million households despite LPG supply crunch due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, government officials said on Monday.Meanwhile, the government also raised allocation of gas for the fertiliser sector from about 70% to 90% from Monday, which will be supplied to them from the domestically produced natural gas, the officials said. Natural gas is both fuel and feedstock for fertiliser plants.Officials said state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) are procuring energy, including crude oil, LPG and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from all available sources. Two LPG-laden vessels — Green Sanvi with 46,500 tonnes of cargo and Green Asha with 15,500 tonnes — have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, they said at the inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia.ALSO READ | 2 LPG ships to arrive soon; 16 more Indian-flagged vessels wait across HormuzSujata Sharma, joint secretary in the petroleum ministry, said that LPG supply remains a concern, but supplies to domestic consumers (household kitchens) are sufficient. “For that we have tied-up additional cargos also,” she said. After the war broke out in West Asia on February 28, the government also directed Indian refiners and petrochemical plants to maximise LPG output that augmented domestic production of LPG by 40%.India imported 60% of its LPG requirements and 90% of that came from the war-torn West Asia, particularly Qatar. Iran’s strike on Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial city in mid-March — in addition to continued challenges in vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz — disrupted those supplies. “There is no dry-out reported at any of our LPG distributorship and we are distributing approximately 50 lakh [5 million] cylinders daily. LPG cylinders have been dispatched to approximately 18 crore [180 million] households in last five weeks,” Sharma said. Meanwhile, public sector OMCs and state governments are regularly monitoring supply situation of LPG on the ground and take action against black-marketing and hoarding, she added.ALSO READ | Amid LPG crisis, biogas powers hundreds of kitchens in UP villageShe informed that 97% bookings for refills are now online and 90% of deliveries are made on the basis of delivery activation code (DAC) to check diversion. She, however, added that gas supplies to commercial customers are still restricted (up to 70% of their requirements) as priority is the domestic consumer. Commercial gas consumers include hotels, restaurants and hostels. “But, in the last three weeks, approximately 79,900 tonnes of commercial LPG are sold,” she said. If this quantity is converted to 19kg LPG refills, this would amount to 42 lakh (4.2 million) cylinders, she added.Speaking about availability of 5kg free trade LPG (FTL) cylinders, which are mainly used by students and migrant labourers, Sharma said: “Sufficient stock is available. A consumer can get it from the nearest distributor by showing a valid ID proof. No address proof is required.” In order to keep consumers aware, over 5,500 awareness camps have been organised in various states and about 6,700 FTL cylinders were sold there, she said. In last 14 days, over 675,000 FTL refills have been sold across the country, she added.ALSO READ | 108 LPG cylinders stolen overnight as burglars strike Bharat Gas godown in UPDaily average sale of the 5kg cylinders in February was about 77,000, which rose to over 90,000 on April 4, she said, adding that sufficient numbers of these cylinders are available in the market. FTLs are also classified as commercial LPG and it is sold at ₹549 per refill in Delhi.On natural gas supplies, she said, priority is given to domestic consumers through piped natural gas and automobiles as compressed natural gas. After meeting their 100% requirements, domestically-produced natural gas and liquefied natural gas is allocated to commercial and industrial customers. Sharma added that fertiliser plants were getting natural gas to about 70-75% of their requirements, which has been raised to 90% from Monday.