Modi opens India's largest underground LPG cavern in Mangaluru and ties energy security to the Gulf war

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a ceremony in Bengaluru on Friday to argue that the war in the Gulf has made India’s fuel and power infrastructure a matter of security, as he dedicated India’s largest underground LPG storage cavern at Mangaluru and launched projects worth over ₹15,600 crore in Karnataka. According to reports, he tied the conflict involving Iran and the Gulf states to the need for preparedness in renewable energy, petroleum storage and power transmission. The programme, held at the IIM Bangalore campus, also included the flag-off of a Vande Bharat Express to Goa.

The remarks matter because the same week has brought fresh attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which India’s Gulf crude and gas arrive. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar welcomed the Prime Minister at the event, and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant joined virtually from Madgaon, according to reports. The address followed the Pink Line ride we reported earlier.

What was dedicated and launched

The Prime Minister’s Office release of November 11 lists the package. The headline item is the Mangaluru cavern: 80,000 metric tonnes of capacity, a cost of over ₹850 crore, and a 9.4 km pipeline from New Mangalore Port to the main terminal. Modi also dedicated the MRPL Devangonthi Marketing Terminal in Bengaluru, which cost ₹330 crore.

Power is the largest block. He inaugurated the Koppal-II and Gadag-II transmission scheme, about ₹4,450 crore and about 2 GW of evacuation, and the Bidar solar zone scheme with its pooling station, about ₹1,370 crore and 2.5 GW. Foundation stones were laid for two more schemes: Davanagere, Chitradurga and Ballari (over ₹3,450 crore) and strengthening at Davanagere and Ballari (over ₹1,100 crore). Together the four come to about ₹10,370 crore.

Four power schemes10,370

Pink Line section3,470

Mangaluru LPG cavern850

Devangonthi terminal330

010,00020,000

Itemised costs in the package, ₹ crore

Item	Value
Four power schemes	10,370
Pink Line section	3,470
Mangaluru LPG cavern	850
Devangonthi terminal	330

The rest is rail and waste. Four redeveloped stations at Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road were inaugurated, along with the 45 km Bagalkot-Wandal doubling. The 55 km Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section was electrified, which the release says completes electrification of the whole Bengaluru-Mangaluru route. A GAIL compressed biogas plant at Haralakunte, to process about 300 tonnes of municipal waste a day into 12.6 tonnes of biogas, got its foundation stone. The release does not give costs for these items, so the chart above covers only what it itemises.

The Gulf link

The reports of the speech say Modi stressed energy security against the backdrop of the conflict and said it underlined the need for stronger preparedness. The war began in February, and our reporting this week shows how close it sits to Indian supplies. On Thursday Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two supertankers carrying over four million barrels caught fire in the strait, even as crude from the Gulf overtook Russian oil in India’s imports for the first time since the war began. On Friday the Guards said a gas carrier struck a mine on the southern route they call unauthorised, while President Donald Trump said Gulf states had asked him to hold off on heavier strikes.

A storage cavern does not change what comes through Hormuz. It gives the system a buffer when cargoes are delayed. The release gives the capacity but no figure for how many days of demand it covers, and none has been stated since.

Rail and the Governor

The Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat covers about 850 km, according to reports, and stops at Hassan, Sakleshpur, Mangaluru, Udupi, Murdeshwar, Gokarna and Karwar. South Western Railway ran two inaugural specials on Friday, and regular service begins on November 15. Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar said the electrified Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road route would reduce “dependency on diesel fuel” and called the Goa link a “wonderful addition” for Karnataka travellers.

According to reports, Modi also praised Karnataka Governor Sudha Yadav, appointed by President Droupadi Murmu in October, recalling that her husband, Deputy Commandant Sukhbir Singh Yadav, was killed in the Kargil War in 1999 and that she has continued to serve the nation.

How we got here

The visit was announced on November 11 as a two-day tour of Karnataka and Gujarat. On Thursday Shivakumar said the state would welcome the Prime Minister, adding: “Karnataka has done a great job, though there are still many things left to be done.” Modi opened the day at the Prashanti Kutiram jubilee, then rode the new Pink Line before the 1:15 pm programme. BJP leader Harish Dwivedi said the metro stretch would take the network to 100 km.

Why it matters

For households and small businesses, the price of cooking gas is the visible edge of the Gulf war. The 19-kg commercial cylinder in Delhi costs ₹2,820, about 77% more than a year ago, after three straight monthly increases, while the 14.2-kg household cylinder has stayed at ₹942. Storage of this size is meant to protect supply, not prices, and the release makes no claim about prices.

For Karnataka’s renewable sector, the 4.5 GW of evacuation capacity inaugurated on Friday matters because solar and wind plants in Koppal, Gadag and Bidar can only sell what the lines can carry. The two schemes with foundation stones are yet to be built.

What happens next

The first six elevated Pink Line stations, from Kalena Agrahara to S.G. Palya, open to passengers on Saturday, November 14, 2026, according to reports. Modi then travels to Gujarat. At about 3:30 pm on Friday he was scheduled to inaugurate the COSMOS-Mysuru planetarium; our preview has the details. Regular Vande Bharat service to Goa starts on November 15. The text of the Prime Minister’s address had not been released when this was written; the Office usually posts it on the day.