Qatar halt: Gas supplies cut by a third

Fertiliser, city-gas & petrochem firms on tenterhooks

- SAURAV ANAND & SANDIP DAS

FROM FERTILISER PLANTS that sustain India’s farms to ceramic factories and CNG pumps powering millions of vehicles, the escalating war in West Asia is beginning to squeeze India’s natural gas supply chain, forcing policymakers to consider rationing gas across sectors as LNG shipments from Qatar remain disrupted.

India meets about half of its 195 million standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) gas consumption through imports, making the country heavily dependent on overseas supplies. Officials said the ongoing disruption has already created a significant shortfall. Across several industries, gas supply cuts of 10% to 30% have already been implemented in anticipation of tightening LNG availability.

“Nearly 60 mmscmd of gas is currently not available due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the force majeure declared by Qatar,’ a government official said.

The government is weighing a plan to prioritise gas supply to critical sectors if the disruption persists, people aware of the matter said.