# CNG, LPG and biogas distribution

Compressed and liquefied gases delivered in cylinders, trailers and tankers.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/

Transport · Liquid and gaseous fuels · No. 59

- Transport
- Form: Gaseous fuel
 Transport · Liquid and gaseous fuels · Foundation · Energy

About 60% of India's LPG is imported, 90% of it from the Middle East, so the 2026 Hormuz closure hit kitchens.

Chart: Illustration: CNG, LPG and biogas distribution

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Where pipes do not reach, gas travels in pressure vessels: methane squeezed to about 250 bar as CNG, or propane and butane kept liquid under modest pressure as LPG.

##### Three things to know

1. Gas is only about a third of a loaded CNG module's mass; the rest is cylinders and container hauled both ways.
2. The US produced about 110 Mt of LPG in 2024, roughly twice the Middle East's 52.5 Mt.
3. Biogas plants leak about 6% of their output as methane on average, which can cancel much of their climate gain.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Source**Gas fields, refineries or biogas digesters
2. 2 **Compress or liquefy**CNG to 250 bar; LPG under modest pressure
3. 3 **Bulk transport**Gas carriers, rail, road tankers, CNG trailers
4. 4 **Bottling**Spheres, bullet tanks and cylinder filling
5. 5 **Last mile**Trucks and handcarts deliver to homes
 Covered in [Muscles, wood, water and wind: energy before fossil fuelsEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/energy-before-fossil-fuels/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/correlation/index.md)
- [How it works](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/explain/index.md)
- [Efficiency and losses](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/efficiency/index.md)
- [Technology advances](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/advances/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/valuechain/index.md)
- [Geopolitics and regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/geopolitics/index.md)
- [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/economics/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/biosphere/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_cng_lpg/links/index.md)