Goyal to co-chair India-Australia energy dialogue

Power Minister Piyush Goyal will lead the Indian side at the third India-Australia Energy Security Dialogue starting from Monday that will focus on sharing Canberra's expertise in liquefied natural gas (LNG), renewable energy and clean coal technology.

Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal will co-chair the dialogue to be held from February 8-11 in Australia," a union power ministry statement said.

"Several round tables will be organised during the energy security dialogue with a view to get to know the state of art technologies in the relevant areas. The discussion will also enhance business to business collaboration in different sectors," it added.

India's Petronet LNG signed a 20-year contract with Gorgon gas to source 1.44 million tonnes of gas annually from Australia.

Goyal will hold other sessions with government and industry officials in Sydney and in capital Canberra, where he is slated to have talks with Australia's Minister for Energy and Resources Josh Frydenberg and the Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb.

Senior officials from state-run firms such as GAIL, Coal India, Petronet LNG, Indian Oil, HPCL and BPCL will also participate in the dialogue, while the private sector will be represented by Adani Renewable Energy Park, Suzlon Energy, GVK Hancock Coal, among others.

The discussions in Sydney will focus on renewable energy and challenges for grid integration, efficient coal-based power generation, carbon capture and storage (CCS) as well as smart grids and energy efficiency, the statement said.

The India-Australia Energy Security Dialogue was instituted following the visit of former Australian premier Julia Gillard to India in October 2012, to discuss areas of mutual interest in energy security and key issues in India and Australia's energy markets, it added.