The U.S. now accounts for about 67% of India’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports, according to Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri .

Addressing the CII International Energy Conference, he said the shift follows an earlier government decision to source roughly 10% of India’s LPG requirements from the U.S. as part of a broader effort to diversify energy supplies.

“Some of us wondered would we need the 10% (from U.S.) when we have suppliers nearby [in the Gulf]. Today, I am happy to inform that U.S. accounts for about 67% of our LPG imports,” he said.

Before the conflict broke out in West Asia, India imported nearly 60% of its requirement of the bottled hydrocarbon gas, of which approximately 90% came via the Strait of Hormuz.

In his address, Mr. Puri elaborated that at the peak of crisis, India’s oil marketing companies (OMCs) ramped up their cumulative daily production of LPG from 34,000 metric tonnes to 55,000 metric tonnes, which helped the country offset the impact of lower imports.

‘No proposal to levy charges on LPG’

Speaking to reporters outside, Mr. Puri refuted news reports about the government seeking to impose an additional charge on LPG and natural gas to fund a strategic fuel reserve. “I am not aware of any such proposal,” he added.