India expands LNG and crude sources to cut reliance on single markets

During a written reply to the upper house, officials disclosed that India's LNG import base has widened to fifteen countries, a sharp rise from the previous six, and that crude oil is now sourced from forty-one nations, compared with twenty-seven earlier. The diversification strategy is intended to mitigate the impact of geopolitical tensions and disruptions along key maritime corridors, according to Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi.

The ministry also highlighted ongoing monitoring of global supply conditions in coordination with public-sector oil and gas firms. Alongside expanding imports, the government is increasing domestic crude storage, with Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd operating three facilities totaling 5.33 million tonnes and additional capacity of 6.5 million tonnes approved at Chandikhol and Padur, though these are not yet operational.

ONGC is constructing a 1.75-million-tonne reserve, half of which will serve strategic purposes. Together, the broader sourcing and expanded reserves aim to give India greater resilience against external supply shocks.