India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Comparison with LPG Supply Buffers
India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), stores crude oil (not LPG) in underground caverns at Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, and Padur with a combined capacity of about 5.33 million metric tonnes, providing only around 9-13 days of net import cover — well short of the 90-day benchmark recommended for International Energy Agency (IEA) member countries. India, notably, is an IEA "association country," not a full member, and is not bound by the 90-day requirement.
- ISPRL storage sites: Visakhapatnam (1.33 MMT), Mangalore (1.5 MMT), Padur (2.5 MMT)
- Current cover: approximately 9.5 days at full capacity utilisation; India's actual holdings were around 64% of capacity as of March 2026
- IEA benchmark: 90 days of net oil import cover for full members
- LPG, unlike crude, does not currently have an equivalent dedicated strategic reserve in India — supply security instead relies on import diversification, domestic refinery flexibility, and long-term supply contracts
● Tracked since March 03, 2026 · last seen August 11, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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