New Delhi [India]March 10 (ANI): As conflict in West Asia continues to put pressure on fuel supplies, the Union government on Tuesday invoked the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act) to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas, directing refineries and petrochemical units to increase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production and divert key hydrocarbon streams to the LPG complex.
Under the order, natural gas supplies to certain sectors will be treated as priority allocation and must be maintained on the condition of 100 percent operational availability. From their average gas consumption over the past six months. These sectors include: domestic pipelined natural gas supplies; Compressed natural gas for transportation. LPG production including LPG shrinkage requirements; Pipeline compressor fuel and other basic pipeline operational requirements.
The order also stipulates that the supply of natural gas to fertilizer factories must be guaranteed by seventy percent. of their average gas consumption over the past six months, subject to operational availability. It also asked gas marketing entities to ensure that gas supply to tea and manufacturing industries and other industrial consumers supplied through the national gas grid is maintained at eighty per cent. of their average gas consumption over the past six months, subject to operational availability.
All gas distribution entities in the city have been asked to ensure that industrial and commercial consumers supplied through their networks receive eighty per cent cess. of their average gas consumption over the past six months, subject to operational availability.
Oil refinery companies have been ordered to absorb the impact of LNG supply disruptions to the greatest extent possible by reducing gas allocations to refineries to approximately sixty-five percent. of gas consumption during the past six months, taking into account operational feasibility.
Every producer, importer, transporter, marketer or distributor of natural gas including LNG and reconverted LNG has been asked to submit information relating to production, imports, stocks, allocation, supply and consumption to the Central Government or to any official authorized by it.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has ordered oil refineries to increase LPG production and channel this additional production specifically for domestic use.
The government has prioritized domestic LPG supplies to households to ensure energy security for citizens amid ongoing uncertainty in the global oil and energy market due to the West Asia crisis.
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To manage the current supply environment, the Ministry has introduced a 25-day inter-hold period for consumers to avoid hoarding and prevent black marketing. (that I)
