New Delhi, March 9 – India currently has a total storage capacity for crude oil and petroleum products of 74 days, which can help mitigate disruptions in case of adverse situations such as geopolitical conflicts, the Parliament was informed on Monday.
"The government has established Strategic Petroleum Reserves with a total capacity of 5.33 million metric tonnes (MMT), which can act as a buffer for short-term supply shocks such as geopolitical conflicts. This is intended to provide for about 9.5 days of crude oil requirement. In addition, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in the country have storage facilities for crude oil and petroleum products for 64.5 days. Therefore, the current total national capacity for storage of crude oil and petroleum products is 74 days," said Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
To further augment the petroleum reserves' capacity, the government also approved the establishment of two additional facilities with a total storage capacity of 6.5 MMT at Chandikhol (4 MMT) in Odisha and Padur (2.5 MMT) in Karnataka on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in July 2021. This expansion will increase the oil reserve equivalent to 12 days of imports.
Furthermore, the government has taken multiple steps to mitigate the risk of supply disruption and to maintain an uninterrupted energy supply chain during geopolitical uncertainties. This includes diversifying crude oil import sources, bypassing conflict zones, and strengthening diplomatic engagements with major oil-producing countries and international organizations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the International Energy Forum (IEF).
Meanwhile, India's proven hydrocarbon reserves have been established through sustained exploration efforts across its sedimentary basins. As of April 1, 2025, the country's proven Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR) is 1,948.1 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) for crude oil and 1,844.3 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) for natural gas, according to the annual estimates under the Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS). The proven reserves (Balance Recoverable Reserves) are 423.1 MMT for crude oil and 595.4 BCM for natural gas.
The percentage of import dependence on crude oil ranges from 85 per cent to 88 per cent and on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) between 48 per cent to 50 per cent during the last 5 years, the minister added.