In an effort to put to rest any talk of a fuel crunch, India has made it clear that its reserves of crude, LPG and LNG are good for some two months. The refineries are at 100 per cent and you can count on stable supplies in every corner of the country. The Petroleum Ministry’s message to the public is to buy what you need and no more.
Fuel on the table, and the works
The Ministry says the state-run oil companies are making sure there’s no hiccups in the flow of petrol, diesel, LPG or natural gas. You might see a few outlets with a bit of a run on them, but officials say they have a handle on distribution so as not to let any one place run dry.
“Our stocks of everything from crude to natural gas are where they should be,” says Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. “And the refineries are running at max to cover demand.”
A two-month headroom
Sharma puts the figure at a couple of months’ worth of rolling inventory. It’s a buffer to make sure the home front, the transporters and the industries don’t feel a blip in service while the pumps and the bottling plants do their thing.
We have what we need, she was quick to point out. But when it comes to the cost of all this? “As for the price and what lies ahead, I can’t really comment on that at the moment,” she said.
What’s in the buffer
You’ll find the feedstock for our refineries and the like in those numbers. The idea is to head off any speculation and let the logistics side of things go on as normal, even if some parts of the country are pulling in a little more than they usually would.
By the numbers
Some new figures from the Ministry tell the story of a system that can hold up. Lately, we’ve been putting out more in deliveries than we are in bookings. It’s a sign of how well we are serving the needs of both the home and the commercial sector for LPG.
Here is what the Ministry is saying:
– We have some two months of stock on hand.
– 1.49 crore domestic LPG cylinders have been in the hands of customers in just three days.
– 1.40 crore were put in for in that time.
– 22,340 tonnes of the commercial kind has moved.
– And 5-kg cylinder sales are in the neighbourhood of 1.91 lakh.
It shows the system is up to the task. Even in spots where the till is ringing a bit faster, the public sector companies are on top of it.
Making room for PNG
We’ve put in the work: 9.42 lakh connections have been live since March, with the infrastructure for 3.12 lakh more and 9.44 lakh new names on the books. It’s a way to give people options and to ease the load on the LPG side of things in the right places.
We’ve put out the word to the states and U.T.s to put some pressure on the city gas distributors to make the switch to PNG an easy one for the household. It’s a matter of convenience and having a reliable source.
A word to the wise
Sharma is calling for some common sense: “Buy your petrol, diesel and LPG for what you actually need and don’t be swayed by the grapevine.” She also has a word for using other means and being a bit more frugal with energy.
The bottom line from the Ministry is that we want availability, not hoarding. If you keep to your usual habits and don’t panic, you’re part of the solution. That’s how we keep the supply chain in order and let the two-month reserve do its job for the country.
