Energy fallout drives push for piped natural gas across India

India is urging households to increase their reliance on piped natural gas (PNG) as the country grapples with the energy fallout from the ongoing war, a move that could alter cooking habits for tens of millions of people.

Traditionally, households across urban and rural India rely heavily on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders as their primary cooking fuel, with deliveries reaching high-rise apartment blocks as well as remote village clusters.

In contrast, India’s PNG infrastructure—delivering gas directly via pipelines—has been steadily expanding in recent years, now serving more than 15 million registered households nationwide. Unlike LPG, which relies heavily on imports from the Middle East, about half of PNG is produced domestically.

“We produce 50% domestically as far as PNG is concerned. So, this is in the interest of the nation that we shift from LPG to PNG,” Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum, said.

This week, the government ordered an expansion of the country’s natural gas infrastructure and instructed households in areas with existing piped gas networks to switch within three months of receiving a mailed notice. Households that fail to comply could lose access to their LPG supply, the order stated.

The directive has caused anxiety among residents.

“Our entire neighbourhood runs on LPG,” said Chandra Tandon, a grocery store owner in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar neighborhood. Chandra said she was unaware of the notice and unsure how to make the switch. “Maybe once this war is over, this will go away. I’m worried,” she added.

Meanwhile, reports indicate a rise in black-market sales of LPG cylinders and a surge in induction stove purchases across India, as households seek alternatives to the regulated supply.

Other countries in Asia are also implementing emergency measures to address the regional energy crisis, highlighting the broader impact of global fuel disruptions.

By Tamilla Hasanova