India’s ceramics industry shuts amid energy crunch

Hot kilns in India’s $6.5bn ceramics manufacturing hub have gone cold, shut down in an energy crunch caused by the war in the Middle East, Agence France-Presse reports.

At a cavernous facility in Morbi in India’s western Gujarat state, a 200-metre-long propane-powered kiln that normally fires clay nonstop is silent. Only a tiny crew of workers transfer the last batch made three weeks ago off snaking assembly lines and into trucks, reports Guardian.

It is one of hundreds of tile plants across the world that have been forced to suspend operations amid gas supply constraints and the energy crisis resulting from the war in Iran and the closure of the strait of Hormuz.

“We are suffering a lot,” said Kishor Dulera, a tile unit proprietor who closed this factory and two others in early March, sending hundreds of workers home.

A ceramics factory in Morbi that remains closed amid gas supply constraints and the global energy crisis.

India, the world’s fourth-largest economy, depends on imports for 60% of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) demand.

The overwhelming majority comes through the strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked by Iran after US-Israeli strikes on the country last month sparked a broader regional conflict, disrupting global energy supplies.

New Delhi has prioritised supply for households, shielding Indians who use it to cook food. That has squeezed the amount available for industrial use.

Factories in sectors including stainless steel and plastic have cut back on production as a result.