India’s Reliance Industries
is cutting output of alkylates and diverting feedstock
to ramp up production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as India
battles shortages of the cooking fuel due to the Iran war, the
company said on Monday.
The operator of the world’s biggest refining complex is
running its alkylation unit at minimum rates, curtailing exports
of the gasoline-blending component.
Reliance typically exports alkylates to the U.S. from its
704,000 barrels-per-day export-focused refinery.
The company said LPG production has increased more than
threefold from pre-war levels.
“This has been done to bridge part of the gap in loss of LPG
imports from Middle Eastern countries,” the company said in a
statement to Reuters.
In March, the federal government directed refiners to
maximise LPG production as India faced shortages after the
closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
India, the world’s second-largest LPG importer, is grappling
with its worst gas crisis in decades, with the government
cutting supplies to industry to protect household cooking fuel
needs.
The country had relied on the Middle East for about 90% of
its LPG imports.