India Invokes Essential Commodities Act to Tighten Grip on Energy Data Amid Hormuz Crisis

In an extraordinary assertion of state authority over the private energy sector, the Indian government invoked the Essential Commodities Act on Wednesday to mandate near real-time data sharing from all entities across the oil and gas supply chain — a move that effectively classifies energy data as a matter of national security.

Under the Petroleum and Natural Gas (Furnishing of Information) Order 2026, gazetted on 18 March, every entity involved in the production, processing, refining, storage, transportation, import, export, marketing, distribution, or consumption of petroleum products or natural gas is now legally required to furnish detailed operational data to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC). The scope is sweeping: oil producers, refiners, LNG importers, pipeline operators, city gas distributors, petrochemical firms, fuel retailers — public and private alike — are all covered.

The data required includes granular information on production, imports, exports, stock levels, storage, allocation, transportation, and consumption patterns. Critically, the order overrides all existing commercial confidentiality obligations. No entity can refuse disclosure on the grounds that the information is commercially sensitive or proprietary. Reporting frequencies may be daily, weekly, or monthly as PPAC directs — and violations may be treated as criminal offences under the Act.

The government’s urgency is backed by the scale of India’s energy import dependency. The country imports approximately 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of its natural gas, and 60 to 90 per cent of its LPG requirements. Before the conflict erupted, over 40 per cent of crude imports and roughly 90 per cent of LPG imports came through the Strait of Hormuz — now effectively closed to normal traffic.

Officials say the real-time data from PPAC will help the government manage ongoing supply rationing. LPG and CNG for domestic use have been designated Priority Sector I (receiving up to 100 per cent of average consumption); fertilizers are Priority Sector II (70 per cent); other industrial users fall under Priority Sectors III and IV (around 80 per cent). Supplies to less critical sectors such as petrochemicals are being curtailed. GAIL has been tasked with coordinating gas diversions to minimise the impact on households and high-priority industries.