New Delhi: GAIL (India) Limited and Petronet LNG Limited have joined hands with the MC² Foundation and the iTIC Incubator of IIT Hyderabad to accelerate startup-led innovation in India’s energy sector, with a focus on deploying digital technologies to improve asset performance, operational efficiency and sustainability.
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The organisations hosted the MC² Plus IGNITE Hyderabad Connect at IIT Hyderabad, bringing together energy-sector leaders, academia, startups, entrepreneurs and technology experts to explore solutions for emerging challenges across the energy value chain.
The Hyderabad edition focused on Digital Asset Management, with discussions centred on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, advanced analytics, sensors, robotics, drones and digital twins to transform conventional infrastructure into intelligent assets.
GAIL CMD Deepak Gupta said India was at a “remarkable inflection point”, with rapidly rising energy requirements coinciding with its ambition to become a developed economy while ensuring affordable and reliable energy and meeting climate commitments.
He said the energy sector faces the challenge of balancing rising demand with the transition towards cleaner energy, greater energy security, smarter and more resilient infrastructure and reduced dependence on imported technologies and critical systems.
Gupta said MC² Plus IGNITE aims to bring startups, academia, research institutions and the oil and gas industry onto a common platform, enabling innovative ideas to progress from laboratory research to prototypes, pilots, deployment and commercial scale. He emphasised that innovation should ultimately be measured by successful implementation and real-world impact.
On digital asset management, Gupta highlighted the potential to move the industry beyond preventive and predictive maintenance towards prescriptive maintenance, where technology can anticipate equipment failures and recommend appropriate interventions.
He outlined five key imperatives for the energy sector — efficiency, technology self-reliance, net-zero, self-sustaining energy systems and technological self-reliance. He also called for greater emphasis on “Make in India” and “Invent in India”, with the long-term objective of innovating and deploying technologies domestically and exporting them globally.
Akshay Kumar Singh, MD & CEO, Petronet LNG, said MC² Plus IGNITE was connecting the energy industry with India's startup and innovation ecosystem, particularly in areas such as AI, advanced sensors, robotics and digital twins.
He said these technologies could make LNG infrastructure smarter, safer, more reliable and efficient, while creating opportunities for innovation across the LNG value chain.
Singh also pointed to the commercial potential of cold energy generated during the LNG regasification process, which could be utilised in sectors such as data centres, cold storage and air separation units. He also highlighted opportunities to improve CBG yields and optimise value-added byproducts, potentially contributing to import substitution.
Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, said the institute's collaboration with MC² Foundation would help bring together industry, academia and startups to address critical challenges in the energy sector. He said the partnership would leverage faculty expertise, research capabilities and infrastructure to help promising technologies move closer to real-world deployment.
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Ayush Gupta, Director (HR), GAIL, said MC² Plus IGNITE would provide innovators with access to mentors and support to convert real-life industry challenges into scalable solutions. He urged students and startup founders to challenge conventional approaches and develop solutions that can contribute to affordable, sustainable and energy-secure growth.
MC² Plus is positioned as an energy innovation accelerator envisioned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in collaboration with leading energy-sector organisations. The programme covers seven priority themes — Digital Asset Management; AI-Driven Subsurface Intelligence; Next-Generation Drilling & Well Completion; Refinery Process Intensification & Catalysis; Bio-Energy with a focus on Compressed Biogas; Hydrogen & Mobility; and other energy-sector innovations.
Under the programme, selected startups can receive convertible funding of up to Rs 50 lakh and milestone-based funding of up to Rs 1.5 crore. The accelerator aims to support 30 high-potential early-stage startups through mentorship, technical expertise, pilot opportunities, funding and industry networks.
The Hyderabad Connect also featured a panel discussion on innovation and the startup ecosystem, bringing together representatives from startups working in areas including energy technology, pipeline integrity, robotics, artificial intelligence and digital solutions.
An IIT Hyderabad session on innovation and entrepreneurship and a presentation by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) on Avinya’27, its energy startup challenge and India Energy Week 2027 were also part of the programme.
The event was attended by senior officials and industry leaders, including GAIL CMD Deepak Gupta, Petronet LNG MD & CEO Akshay Kumar Singh, IIT Hyderabad Director Prof. B. S. Murty and GAIL Director (HR) Ayush Gupta.
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