New Delhi: Arguing against looking at energy transition as a linear journey, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said even when renewables become dominant sources of energy, oil and gas will still continue to be important, if not pivotal. Delivering the opening address at India Energy Week (IEW) 2025 on Tuesday, the minister said, “For too long, we have framed energy transition as a linear journey, from fossil fuels to renewables, from the past to the future, from problems to solutions. But modern risk logic is not feasible. Even when renewables become the dominant energy sources, oil and gas will continue to play an important, if not pivotal role, not just in power generation but in stabilising grids, industrial agriculture and energy storage innovation.”
“When I look back at the evidence of global energy economics, I recognise that the very notion of energy transition requires a very deep and nuanced understanding. It is not outright replacement, but more shifting the primacy of one energy source over another. This transition isn’t about eliminating hydrocarbons, overnight or leveraging them strategically while scaling the renewables to mitigate emissions,” said Puri. The first day of India Energy Week 2025 focussed on energy transition and the role of oil and gas in the journey.
Making a case for having all energy options on the table, Puri said, “The future lies in smart capital reallocation, for instance, deploying wind and solar, where interdependency is manageable, biofuels, where liquid fuel demand persists, and gas, where coal power is essential. That is how we ensure global affordability and decarbonisation. India presents a compelling and diversified investment landscape.”
Speaking at a ministerial session on “The continued importance of oil security in the energy transition,” Puri said that Green Hydrogen and nuclear energy will shift the energy landscape in big ways. He was asked to comment on the sources of energy that would dominate five-six decades from now. In response to the question, Puri said that while oil and gas would still be part of the energy mix, Green Hydrogen, after it becomes cheaper, and nuclear energy have the potential to change the energy landscape.
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