Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri assured no energy shortage for domestic users in India amid the West Asia crisis. He confirmed 100% supply of CNG and PNG for homes, with the government invoking the Essential Commodities Act to manage supplies.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday assured that domestic consumers in India will not face any shortage of energy amid the West Asia crisis. He said CNG and PNG supplies to households are fully secure, and industries continue to receive most of their energy needs, emphasising there is no reason to panic.
In a post on X, Puri said, "In today's informal interaction with members of the media fraternity, we discussed that India's energy imports are continuing to flow in from different sources and routes. We have taken steps to ensure that 100% supply of CNG & PNG to domestic consumers is ensured and other industries continue to get 70-80% of their supplies, despite the war situation."
"We are committed to ensure uninterrupted supply of affordable energy to our domestic consumers. There is no shortage for domestic consumers and no reason to panic," the post read.
Govt Invokes Essential Commodities Act
Earlier in the day, the Union Government invoked the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act) to safeguard the domestic energy market. The Petroleum Ministry stated that the invocation of the Act has established a clear priority list for natural gas distribution to manage current supply constraints.
New Mandate Prioritises Supply Distribution
Under this new mandate, there is a 100 per cent assured supply of domestic piped gas for homes and CNG for vehicles. Other sectors will face calibrated supply caps based on their previous six-month average consumption.
Specifically, the tea industry, manufacturing units, and industrial consumers connected through the natural gas grid will receive 80 per cent of their average supply. Similarly, industrial and commercial natural gas consumers are also capped at 80 per cent of their previous six-month average.
Fertiliser plants have been allocated 70 per cent of their previous six-month average supply as the government rebalances resources.
To facilitate this redirection, the Petroleum Ministry confirmed a 35 per cent cut in natural gas supply from refineries and petrochemical plants.
Maintaining National Energy Security
These measures come as India, which typically sources 30 per cent of its natural gas via the Strait of Hormuz, navigates the logistical challenges posed by the regional conflict. To offset the current short supply, the Ministry noted that India is actively purchasing natural gas through alternative trade routes to maintain national energy security. (ANI)
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