September 09, 2025 [Argus Media]- India’s state-run refiner HPCL has opened the country’s biggest underground LPG storage cavern with a capacity of 80,000t in the southern state of Mangalore, the firm said in a social media post.

The firm also has another underground LPG cavern of 60,000t at India’s eastern coast of Visakhapatnam in a 50:50 joint venture with France’s Total Energies.

The facilities are expected to secure supplies of LPG — the country’s most used cooking fuel — from volatility in import costs.

LPG from the Mideast makes up 60pc of India’s LPG imports. Prices of LPG are based on the monthly contract price set by state-run Saudi Aramco.

India’s monthly LPG imports exceeded 2mn t for the first time ever in July on the back of a fall in Saudi Aramco’s contract prices (CPs) over the past few months.

Supplies are also expected to pick up in the coming months due to the upcoming festive season demand, which lasts until November, traders said.