The recent West Asia disruption lasting nearly 39 days has prompted India to further refine its energy strategy, with the government emphasising long-term planning and resilience even as it builds on a decade of diversification, Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said.
“Adverse situations such as the war in West Asia bring to the fore the inefficiencies in the system and policies need to be framed keeping in mind long term requirements and such crisis situations,” Mittal said, highlighting the need to continuously strengthen the energy framework.
India has significantly expanded its sourcing base, now importing crude from 41 countries compared with 27 earlier, LNG from 30 countries against six, and LPG from 15 nations versus 10 previously, reflecting a steady effort to enhance supply resilience.
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Lessons from Adversity
“Despite all this diversity of procurement… the national economy has seen a lot of dependencies,” Mittal said at a conference on “Energy Security: Driving India’s Next Wave of Gas Demand” organised by PNGRB and Indraprastha Gas Ltd, noting that recent developments offer insights for further strengthening the system.
The experience has led to a broader reassessment of preparedness. “It’s only when we are faced with adversity we can actually see the chinks in our armour,” he said, adding that such situations help refine long-term strategies.
As part of this transition, the government is focusing on expanding the role of natural gas in the energy mix. However, scaling adoption remains gradual, particularly in shifting consumers towards piped natural gas (PNG).
City gas distribution (CGD) entities continue to expand their networks, though at a measured pace. “Our daily functions still continue to be somewhere around 10,000 per day… I don’t know how many years it will take,” Mittal said, referring to the pace of new PNG connections.
India continues to receive supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and expects flows to remain stable as the situation improves following a ceasefire, he added.
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Transitioning to Gas
At the same time, the government is strengthening domestic energy sources. “As the supplies of liquefied natural gas have been impacted… government will look at increasing domestic production and adoption of compressed biogas,” Mittal said.
He added that initiatives on compressed biogas (CBG) will be streamlined into a single platform to improve efficiency and accelerate implementation.
The government has also prioritised gas allocation to key sectors and accelerated approvals for city gas infrastructure to support expansion.
“Energy security is not just about having enough gas or molecules… it is also about sustainability and affordability,” Mittal said, positioning natural gas as a key transition fuel.
With India targeting to increase the share of natural gas in its energy mix from around 6% to double digits by 2030, the focus is on strengthening infrastructure, improving access and building a more resilient and diversified energy ecosystem.
TOPICSWest AsiaThis article was first uploaded on April nine, twenty twenty-six, at nine minutes past eight in the night.