West Asia crisis threatens energy supplies: Experts urge India to diversify oil, gas routes

India needs to strengthen its energy security by developing multiple import routes, diversifying crude and gas suppliers, expanding strategic reserves and upgrading port infrastructure, experts said amid continuing tensions in West Asia, reported by news agency PTI.

The disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb have highlighted the risks posed by India's dependence on key energy corridors.

India's overall dependence on imported primary energy stood at around 42% in 2024-25, while crude oil import dependence was about 89% and natural gas dependence nearly 49%. India imported around 1.8 billion barrels of crude oil in 2025, with approximately 48% sourced from the Gulf region, according to Rajeev Agarwal, senior research consultant at the Chintan Research Foundation.

“Going forward, India will have to follow a multi-pronged strategy to safeguard its energy security,” Agarwal told PTI.

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Experts said simply finding alternative suppliers may not be sufficient. India would also need multiple transportation routes and logistical options to keep energy supplies moving during regional disruptions.

Cauvery Ganapathy, climate and energy fellow at the Observer Research Foundation Middle East, said India could temporarily reroute Gulf-origin crude through the Mediterranean or use cargoes already at sea through spot trading, swaps and other arrangements.

“One must, however, be mindful of the limitations of this approach in terms of the volumes available as well as the competition for it,” Ganapathy said.

She also cautioned that replacing Gulf supplies could increase costs because of longer voyages and higher risk premiums.

“The re-routing and sourcing from other countries come with their own set of concerns such as high risk premiums, higher voyage time, which can be expected to have a direct bearing on the affordability element,” she told PTI over email.

Mannat Jaspal, climate and energy director at ORF Middle East, called for stronger strategic buffers through Strategic Petroleum Reserves and commercial inventories. India and the UAE have already signed an agreement that could allow Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to increase crude storage in India's strategic reserves to up to 30 million barrels.

“The announcement that the UAE will be increasing its crude oil storage capacity in India by almost six times the current volume is a case in point,” Jaspal told PTI.

Jaspal also suggested greater diversification of LNG supplies from the US, Australia and Africa, alongside increased domestic gas production and renewable energy use.

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Alternative infrastructure in the UAE and Oman could provide additional options. Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, is an established oil storage and bunkering hub, while Oman's Duqm and Salalah ports could support alternative maritime routes. Experts, however, noted that Gulf-origin oil and gas would still face Hormuz-related exposure before reaching such facilities.

Ganapathy also pointed out that not every fuel can be shifted through pipelines, particularly LPG, for which India remains heavily dependent on Gulf supplies. She said alternative maritime routes would also require stronger security arrangements.

“India's ability to talk to each actor in the region at a bilateral level is crucial to being able to make any of these diversification channels work for us,” Ganapathy said.