India’s government-owned refineries will complete the world's longest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pipeline by June. This major project will significantly reduce fuel transportation costs and help prevent fatal road accidents.

“This will be a game changer in the LPG supply chain,” N. Senthil Kumar, director of pipelines at Indian Oil Corp., said in an interview. “It’s like putting LPG on a conveyor belt.” The $1.3 billion project is expected to replace hundreds of trucks that currently transport fuel from refineries to bottling plants across the country. This could reduce the risk of accidents. Last month, a tanker overturned in Coimbatore, causing partial disruption in the city. In December, a crash involving an Indian Oil vehicle in Jaipur led to 20 deaths, 45 injuries and damage to around three dozen vehicles.

Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have come together to form IHB, a joint venture to build a 2,800-kilometre-long pipeline. This pipeline will run from Kandla on the west coast to Gorakhpur in the north. According to Kumar, the chairman of the joint venture, the first phase will be ready by March, and the entire project will be fully operational by mid-year. India is building a pipeline network that will transport around 8.3 million tons of LPG each year, meeting about 25% of the country's total demand. This will help cut transportation costs since nearly 70% of bottling plants still rely on trucks for supply. To handle the growing demand and reduce the risk of road accidents, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board is encouraging refiners to expand pipeline infrastructure.

The use of fuel, mainly for home cooking, has increased by 80% over the past decade, reaching 29.6 million tons in the fiscal year ending March 2024. This growth is faster than the 47% rise in demand for refined oil products. One key reason for this surge is the discounts provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, encouraging low-income households to switch from polluting biomass to cleaner cooking fuel. The project, first announced in 2019, has faced multiple delays due to various reasons, including lockdowns during the pandemic and difficulties in getting materials because of Russia's war in Ukraine. India currently has an LPG pipeline network stretching nearly 5,000 kilometers.