NEW DELHI, May 4 (Reuters) - India's Reliance Industries is cutting output of alkylates and diverting feedstock to ramp up production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as India battles shortages of the cooking fuel due to the Iran war, the company said on Monday.
The operator of the world's biggest refining complex is running its alkylation unit at minimum rates, curtailing exports of the gasoline-blending component.
Reliance typically exports alkylates to the U.S. from its 704,000 barrels-per-day export-focused refinery.
The company said LPG production has increased more than threefold from pre-war levels.
"This has been done to bridge part of the gap in loss of LPG imports from Middle Eastern countries," the company said in a statement to Reuters.
In March, the federal government directed refiners to maximise LPG production as India faced shortages after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
India, the world's second-largest LPG importer, is grappling with its worst gas crisis in decades, with the government cutting supplies to industry to protect household cooking fuel needs.
The country had relied on the Middle East for about 90% of its LPG imports.
(Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Mohi Narayan. Editing by Susan Fenton and Mark Potter)
By Nidhi Verma and Mohi Narayan
