Reliance cuts exports of alkylates, boosts LPG output

New Delhi: Reliance Industries is cutting output of alkylates and diverting feedstock to ramp up production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as India battles shortages of the ‌cooking fuel ⁠due ⁠to the Iran war, the company said on Monday.

The operator of the world's biggest refining complex is running its alkylation unit at minimum rates, curtailing exports of the gasoline-blending component.

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Reliance typically exports ​alkylates to the U.S. from ⁠its 704,000 ‌barrels-per-day export-focused refinery.

The company said LPG production has increased more than threefold ⁠from pre-war levels.

"This has been done ​to bridge part of the gap ​in loss of LPG imports from Middle Eastern countries," the company said in a statement to Reuters.

In March, the federal government directed refiners to maximise LPG production as ‌India faced shortages after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

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India, the ​world's ​second-largest LPG importer, ⁠is grappling with its worst gas crisis in decades, with the government cutting supplies to industry ​to protect household cooking fuel needs.

The country had relied on the Middle East for about 90% of its LPG imports.