India’s strategic oil reserves, which are meant to provide about 9.5 days of supply during emergencies or price shocks, are currently only about two-thirds full. This information was shared in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said that Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) currently holds around 3.372 million tonnes of crude oil. This is about 64% of its total storage capacity.
The reserves have gained attention due to the ongoing Middle East conflict and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which have affected the supply of crude oil, natural gas, and LPG from Gulf countries.
“Quantity of the crude available in the caverns varies depending on market conditions,” Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said in a written reply in the Upper House. “Currently, ISPRL has around 3.372 million tonnes of crude stock available, which is around 64 per cent of the total storage capacity.”
What Are India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves?
ISPRL is a special government company that manages India’s strategic petroleum reserves. It has a total storage capacity of 5.33 million tonnes of crude oil across three locations, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Mangaluru and Padur in Karnataka.
These underground storage facilities act as a backup during short-term supply disruptions. India, which is the world’s third-largest energy consumer, depends on imports for about 88% of its crude oil needs.
“The actual reserve is a dynamic number depending on the stocks and actual consumption, both of which are not static,” he said.
Dependence on Middle East Oil
India spent around USD 110 billion in the first 11 months of the current financial year to import about 226 million tonnes of crude oil, which meets nearly 88.7% of its needs. About half of these imports come from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE, which transport oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
In addition, India spent USD 12.4 billion on importing natural gas between April 2025 and February 2026. Around 60% of LPG is also imported.
A large portion of these supplies—85–95% of LPG and 30% of gas—passes through the Strait of Hormuz. While India has managed to replace some crude oil supplies with imports from Russia, West Africa, the US, and Latin America, gas and LPG supplies have still been affected.
Plans to Expand Storage Capacity
To strengthen energy security, the government approved two new petroleum reserve projects in July 2021. These include facilities at Chandikhol in Odisha (4 million tonnes) and Padur in Karnataka (2.5 million tonnes), adding a total of 6.5 million tonnes capacity.
“Work for construction at Padur has been awarded on October 1, 2025,” he said.
The government also allowed partial commercial use of existing reserves. An agreement was signed between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and ISPRL, allowing ADNOC to use a storage cavern of 750,000 tonnes capacity in Mangaluru.
Total Oil Storage and Supply Strategy
India currently has the capacity to store crude oil and petroleum products for up to 74 days, including storage managed by oil marketing companies.
“The current total national capacity for storage of crude oil and petroleum products is 74 days, which includes the capacity of storage facilities of the oil marketing companies (OMCs),” he said. “The actual reserve is a dynamic number depending on the stocks and actual consumption, both of which are not static.”
To reduce dependence on any one region, Indian public sector oil companies import crude oil from 41 countries. These include newer suppliers like the US, Nigeria, Angola, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico, along with traditional Middle Eastern suppliers such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar.
