India is scrambling to import natural gas on which it once hoped to be less dependent.

Seventeen years ago, Reliance Industries promised that its KG-D6KG-D6Krishna-Godavari Dhirubhai 6 is one of India's first deep-water gas fields block, located off the Andhra coast, would transform the country’s energy landscape and double domestic gas output. Instead, its production collapsed, forcing India to increasingly depend on imports from West Asia and other geographies.

Imported natural gas now accounts for more than half of the country’s needs—and nearly half of that comes from Qatar alone. This dependence has left India vulnerable to supply-chain shocks in the region.

For instance, a recent Iranian attack on the region’s energy installations knocked off nearly one-fifth of Qatar’s energy-export capacity. Its repairReutersIran attacks wipe out 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity for up to five years, QatarEnergy CEO says could take up to five years and buyers like India may faceIndian ExpressIran’s strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan could impact some of QatarEnergy’s LNG supplies to India immediate consequences. “It’s not looking good,” said an analyst tracking the oil and gas sector, adding that the country was in a precarious position.

As this was unfolding, something else was happening further West.

Earlier in March, US President Donald Trump announcedTwitterTrump's announcement on new refinery in US the setting up of a $300 billion oil refinery in Texas, backed by America First Refining and India’s largest private-sector refiner, Reliance Industries.

The oil-to-telecom giant, controlled by the country’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, gave no clarification to the stock exchanges confirming, denying, or explaining Trump’s statement. Nor did they ask for any. The silence was strategic and awkward.

Strategic, because “India and Reliance are walking a tight rope,” said a senior executive working in India’s oil and gas sector.

“Neither do they want to antagonise mercurial Trump by refuting him, nor do they want to upset Iran by being seen as close to its enemy,” he added.

© The Ken