India holds oil buffer of nearly two months amid global energy concerns

Government sources say India holds over 250 million barrels of crude and petroleum products, providing about seven to eight weeks of buffer. Diversified import routes, strategic reserves and expanded supplier networks ensure stable energy supplies despite global geopolitical tensions.

New Delhi: Top government sources on Saturday allayed fears that current global energy situation can become a crisis for India, saying that the country currently holds over 250 million barrels (around 4,000 crore litres) of crude and petroleum products, providing about 7-8 weeks of buffer across the supply chain.

These stocks are not held in a single location or a single form. They are distributed across above-ground storage tanks, underground strategic caverns, pipeline systems, terminal tankage, offshore storage vessels in transit, and the three dedicated strategic petroleum reserve facilities at Mangalore, Padur, and Visakhapatnam.

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According to official sources, India is well stocked with crude oil, petrol, diesel, ATF, LPG, and LNG, with sufficient inventories to handle short-term disruptions, while continuing to source energy from multiple global suppliers.

“Claims circulating that global oil supplies have stopped or that India has reserves for only 25 days are incorrect and do not reflect the actual supply and stock position,” the sources added.

According to them, India is in a position of deliberate, well-prepared strategic strength, built over 12 years of consistent energy policy.

The buffer is real, the supply routes are diversified, and the delivery record is unbroken, they added.

This is a buffer, not a timer. It sits on top of, not instead of, daily imports that continue to arrive through multiple routes. Even if Hormuz flows were entirely disrupted, India’s diversified sourcing means the impact would be partial, not total. A predominant volume of India’s crude does not transit Hormuz, according to government sources.

Over the last decade, India’s strategic oil diplomacy has expanded its supplier base from 27 to 40 countries across six continents.

The days when India’s energy security rose and fell with conditions in a single maritime chokepoint are over. Supply from Russia, West Africa, the Americas, Central Asia, and non-Gulf Middle Eastern routes means that disruption on any single corridor results in a managed sourcing adjustment, not a supply emergency.

The Strait of Hormuz is not the only route for India’s crude imports.

Only around 40 per cent of India’s crude imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while about 60 per cent are routed through other supply routes that remain unaffected. This has ensured that there has been no shortage of energy for Indian consumers even during global turmoil or the pandemic, said sources.

Several countries, including Australia and Canada, have also offered additional gas supplies, and India continues to explore alternative sources to further strengthen energy security. India has also recently entered into new energy supply arrangements with partners such as the United States and the United Arab Emirates to ensure stable long-term supplies.

India’s refining infrastructure — 258 MMTPA of capacity, the fourth largest in the world, exceeding total domestic consumption of 210 to 230 MMTPA — is configured to process a wide basket of crude grades. Indian refiners do not depend on a fixed slate from a fixed origin.

This flexibility is itself a security asset, and it was built deliberately over the last decade as policy, not as an accident, according to sources.

India is also the fifth-largest exporter of refined petroleum products globally.

When Europe needed fuel after sanctioning Russian crude, it was India’s refineries that bridged the gap. India has never depended on permission from any country to buy Russian oil.

India is still importing Russian oil even in February 2026, and Russia is still India’s largest crude oil supplier. For three years of the Russia-Ukraine war, India kept buying Russian oil despite US and EU objections. Imports increased significantly after 2022 due to discounted prices and refinery demand.

Therefore, suggesting a short-term waiver “enables” these purchases overlooks that the trade has continued consistently.

India is a net exporter of refined products to the world — a position that reinforces, not undermines, its energy security, said sources.