Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is prepared to pursue further long-term liquefied petroleum gas deals with India and regards the country as one of its most strategically significant energy markets, a senior company executive said, reinforcing the scale of a relationship that already spans crude, gas and storage ambitions.
India has become a central destination for ADNOC's exports, with the company supplying more than 500,000 barrels of crude a day in 2025, or almost one in ten barrels of India's crude imports. That volume places ADNOC among the most consequential foreign suppliers to the world's third-largest oil consumer and highlights how India's refining system continues to rely on stable Middle Eastern crude flows even as it diversifies sourcing.
Supply Security Focus
The comments come at a time when India is intensifying efforts to lock in energy security through longer-term contracts, broader supplier relationships and infrastructure that can cushion the economy against price shocks. For ADNOC, India offers not only a large and growing market, but also a customer base with rising demand for transport fuels, petrochemicals and household cooking gas.
The company's willingness to consider additional LPG agreements is especially significant because liquefied petroleum gas remains a politically sensitive fuel in India, where it is widely used in households and supported through government policy. Long-term supply contracts can help reduce import volatility and improve planning for both the state and downstream distributors.
ADNOC's remarks also align with India's broader policy push to strengthen strategic reserves and storage capacity. The company is exploring opportunities with the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. to expand storage for crude oil, liquefied natural gas and LPG, including strategic reserves. Such cooperation would deepen the physical infrastructure underpinning the trade relationship and could give India more flexibility during supply disruptions or periods of elevated prices.
Storage And Reserves
Strategic storage has become a more prominent policy tool for India as it balances rapid demand growth with the need to protect against geopolitical risk. The country has repeatedly faced pressure from global oil market swings, shipping disruptions and regional tensions that can affect freight costs and delivery schedules. Additional storage capacity would allow India to hold more imported fuel in reserve and manage procurement more efficiently.
For ADNOC, participation in storage-linked projects would extend its role beyond a supplier of molecules to a partner in India's energy security architecture. That would fit a broader trend in which national oil companies are seeking deeper downstream and infrastructure relationships in major consuming markets, rather than relying solely on spot sales.
The UAE-based producer's interest in India also reflects the changing geography of global energy demand. As mature markets in parts of Europe and North America face slower growth or structural shifts in fuel use, India stands out for its expanding consumption base, industrialisation and urbanisation. That makes it an attractive long-term destination for crude, LPG and potentially LNG.
Strategic Market Bet
The scale of ADNOC's crude shipments to India in 2025 suggests that the relationship is already operating at a high level of commercial trust. The prospect of more long-term LPG deals would further anchor that relationship and could help India secure predictable volumes at a time when energy procurement has become more complex.
The remarks also carry diplomatic weight. Energy trade has long been one of the most durable pillars of India-UAE ties, and expanded cooperation in storage and supply would add another layer to a partnership that increasingly spans investment, logistics and industrial collaboration.
For India, the message is clear: securing energy is no longer just about buying oil, but about building resilient supply chains, storage buffers and contractual certainty. For ADNOC, India is not merely a large customer, but a market where long-term positioning may prove as important as immediate sales.