India Energy Week: Alternative sourcing deals with global firms on cards

Energy Ministers from UK, Qatar and African economies to be present at 3rd IEW beginning today

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Amid the latest round of sanctions on Russian crude and uncertain global backdrop, India will be looking for options to further diversify its sources of oil supply during the India Energy Week (IEW 2025) beginning Tuesday, where a host of representatives of foreign nations and energy companies will take part, officials from petroleum ministry suggested.

 

The four-day event will be the second-largest energy event globally in terms of ministerial and CEO participation, exhibition space, and the number of sessions, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the event virtually.

 

Crude oil importers in India are currently scrambling to shore up supplies from alternative sources than Russia. Stringent sanctions on Russia put by the outgoing Joe Biden administration in its last days are broadly expected to cut off India’s access to discounted Russian crude, forcing it to buy at market prices. However, the situation may change, officials hinted.

 

A large contingent of foreign energy ministers is expected at the IEW.

 

Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, the Qatari Minister of State for Energy and Edward Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change of the United Kingdom, among others are expected to be present at the event, and hold bilateral talks with Puri.

 

Energy ministers from Tanzania, Djibouti, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will also be in attendance, alongside chief executives from global energy companies.

 

Held in Bangalore and Goa in the past two years, the third edition of VIEW is being held in Delhi.

 

The government hopes the event will further cement India as a key policy driver on energy at the global stage, as opposed to just a large buyer of energy. Battery storage, 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels, green ammonia and green hydrogen will be in focus. The inclusion of 20 thematic categories this year, compared to 18 in 2024, highlights a broader focus on cutting-edge issues such as Artificial Intelligence, digitalisation, and maritime decarbonisation.

 

The conference will also host 10 country pavilions from leading nations such as the US, UK, Russia, Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands, alongside eight thematic zones focusing on hydrogen, renewables, biofuels, and petrochemicals.

 

The event space has increased to 28,000 square metres this year, allowing the exhibition of vehicles, technologies and equipment related to the energy space. IEW 2025 will cover over 1 lakh square meters. There has been a 65 per cent increase in exhibition space over 2024, while more than 70,000 delegates are expected to attend the event, up 55 per cent. It will host 105 conference sessions, 500 speakers and more than 700 exhibitors.

 

Key exhibits at the event include ONGC’s deep-sea simulation game, HPCL’s indigenous Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System, BPCL’s LPG cylinder ATM, and the first-ever e-tractor built for sustainable agriculture by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

 

The Petroleum Ministry will host a Clean Cooking Ministerial, bringing together global policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to accelerate the transition to clean cooking solutions.