India to import about 10% of its LPG from US

NEW DELHI: India plans to source about 10% of its cooking gas imports from the U.S. beginning in 2026 as part of a broader effort to boost energy purchases to narrow its trade gap with Washington, four industry refining people familiar with the matter said.

- Reuters

The world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer relies heavily on Middle Eastern producers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with more than 90% Of its roughly 20.5 million tonnes of imports in 2024 coming from the region.

LPG is a mix of propane and butane used for cooking fuel and is mainly imported by state retailers Indian Oil Corp., Bharat Petroleum Corp. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. and sold at a subsidised price to households.

India had rarely bought US LPG in the past due to higher freight costs, but state retailers began buying US LPG in May after China imposed retaliatory import tariffs on US propane.