Amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, Congress Kerala’s X handle claimed that India’s strategic oil reserve storage capacity was 5.33 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2014 and has remained unchanged even in 2026.
(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)
But...?: The claim lacks important context.
According to a 2012 parliamentary answer, the government, through the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), was "setting up" strategic crude oil reserves of 5.33 MMT across Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, and Padur.
It did not mention that the reserves had already been in place, as claimed.
What we found: At first, we looked for the parliamentary answer as shown in the claim made by INC Kerala.
In the parliamentary answer from 2012, it noted:
"The Government, through Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), is setting up Strategic Crude Oil Reserves with total storage capacity of 5.33 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) at three locations viz. Visakhapatnam (storage capacity: 1.33 MMT), Mangalore (storage capacity: 1.5 MMT) and Padur (storage capacity: 2.5 MMT) to enhance the energy security of the country and to deal with any unforeseen circumstance."
The answer did not mention that the reserves had already been set up, as claimed by INC Kerala's X handle.
Additionally, as per an answer given by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in the Rajya Sabha in February 2026, he mentioned that the government, through its special purpose vehicle ISPRL, has established Strategic Petroleum Reserve facilities with a total capacity of 5.33 MMT across three locations in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
He added that the current crude stock stood at 4.094 MMT, about 77% of capacity, varying with market conditions.
This answer from 2026 clearly notes that the strategic oil reserves are currently in place, as opposed to the parliamentary answer from 2012.
Moreover, amid the energy crisis in India, an RTI found that India’s strategic oil reserves can meet only about 9.5 days of demand in case of import disruptions, assuming full capacity.
However, current reserves were only 3.37 MMT of 5.33 MMT (64 percent of total capacity), meaning the actual buffer was significantly lower.
Similarly, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told the parliament in March 2026 that, "Currently, ISPRL has around 3.372 million tonnes of crude stock available, which is around 64 per cent of the total storage capacity." (sic.)
Conclusion: INC Kerala's claim is misleading as the parliamentary answer referenced by them clearly states that the government was in the process of setting up the said oil reserves, and not that they already existed.
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