New Delhi, April 24 -- The ongoing West Asia conflict has sent ripples through India's glass manufacturing sector, with Hindustan National Glass (HNG) Chief Strategy Officer Suraj Mehta saying the industry faced a severe energy crunch due to its 24x7 furnace operations and heavy reliance on gas and furnace oil.

Unlike PET or aluminium packaging, glass manufacturing cannot afford even a minute of downtime.

"The molten glass inside the furnace will cool down, expand and can result in a sudden explosion if the furnace is shut," Mehta said in an interview with ANI.

With most plants running on natural gas and low sulphur heavy stock (LSHS) furnace oil, the disruption in LNG and LPG supplies during the peak of the crisis created an acute cha...