Government lists energy data as national security issue

NEW DELHI: The government has asked all entities in the oil and gas value chain to provide detailed operational information regularly to the ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), with officials classifying the data as a matter of national security. With imports falling sharply, the move demonstrates the sector’s fragility, turning it into a strategic asset and underlining the importance of energy in the overall economy.Data required to be disclosed includes production, imports, stock levels and consumption patterns, with the order overriding existing confidentiality rules. A gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on March 18 said, “The obligation to provide information under this order applies regardless of what is contained in any contract, agreement, business arrangement or confidentiality obligation. No entity shall refuse to provide information required by this notification on the ground that such information is commercially sensitive or proprietary.”Every entity engaged in the production, processing, refining, storage, transportation, import, export, marketing, distribution or consumption of petroleum products or natural gas must provide data to PPAC. “Data sharing was earlier, but the notification will provide legal basis for this practice,” said Sujata Sharma, joint secretary of the ministry. With energy supplies tight, the Petroleum Ministry reiterated that the government is trying to extract energy cargoes from outside West Asia to make up for supply losses caused by military conflicts. Sharma said that in the pre-conflict period, 90% of imported LPG came from West Asia and 47% of natural gas came from Qatar, but supply is currently unavailable due to declarations of force majeure at some facilities and disruptions to transportation in the Strait of Hormuz.“The impact is definitely there… We are dealing with this by taking cargoes from other sources. About 70% of crude oil comes from outside the Strait of Hormuz (up from 55%). We are also working to diversify LPG, with some supplies currently coming from the US. Qatar is the main supplier of LNG, but we now source from the US and Australia,” Sharma said on the day Iran attacked oil and gas facilities in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Sharma said there was no shortage of fuel but supplies of LPG continued to be monitored, although there were no reports of drying up. She added that on March 18, nearly 5.6 million refills had been ordered, of which about 5.5 million had been delivered to homes.