India recently took another step in showcasing its potential for global leadership in the field of sustainable development by hosting the 16th International Energy Forum – Ministerial Conference. The event was held in New Delhi from 10th to 12th April 2018 on “The future of global energy security – Transition, Technology, Trade, and Investment”. This was the second major event on energy hosted by India in recent time. The International Solar Alliance Summit was held in March, where India for the first time turned into a headquarters for the global solar alliance.
IEF is the world’s largest platform for energy ministers. The member countries account for 90% of global supply and demand in energy. India has been a permanent member of the IEF Executive Board since its set up. This time, energy ministers from 50 countries, CEOs of 30 MNCs, Heads of 12 International Organizations and over 500 guests took part in the conference.
It is important to understand the context of the conference. The energy sector is complex and has played a key role in making and breaking of economies in the last 150 years. The present world energy trilemma is the challenge to provide secure, affordable, environmentally sensitive energy to all against the backdrop of is the rapid technological disruption.
We live in a time of increasing uncertainties, shifting roles and emerging configurations. In the recent past, 195 countries in December 2015 signed the Paris agreement on environmental measures. The US withdrew in 2017. Further, the disruption made by the discovery of shale oil caused a glut in the industry, forcing the OPEC and 10 non-OPEC countries to call for a production cut. The agreement is going to end in 2018. The shale oil boom might continue and these countries could again go for a production cut to avoid crude oil glut in the market. Taking these into consideration, a conference like this is essential for a dialogue between politics, economics, and markets. This is also a platform for G2G, G2B, B2B partnerships.
The conference was hosted by India with China and South Korea as co-hosts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship inaugurated the conference. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his inaugural address, stressed on energy access, efficiency, sustainability, and security. He also mentioned about the need for a supportive relationship between producer and consumer countries. Modi said India would be a key driver of global energy demand in next 25 years. The ministerial dialogue for informal discussions on these was structured in four thematic plenary sessions and four parallel roundtables.
The plenary sessions were focussed on:
- Global shifts: The Future of Global Energy Security – Finding New Balances
- Sustainable and Inclusive Growth – Energy Access and Affordability
- Oil and Gas Market Stability and Change – Investment in a New Era
- Uptake of Clean Technologies: Disruption and Coexistence of New and Existing Technologies – The Way Ahead
Parallel Roundtables:
- Refining and petrochemical sector: New growth potentials and rationalization
- Fiscal regimes and legal reform to attract investment in the energy sector
- Energy sector digitization: Benefits and challenges
- Human resources: Attracting talent to a vibrant industry – Integrating new generations and technologies.
India presented that energy would be a key engine for its economic growth and mentioned it’s ambition to generate 175 GW of clean energy by 2022. India signaled that it is open for investments in the Oil and Gas sector. Gas trading hubs, to control the gas pricing across the nation would become functional by end of 2018. India is also developing energy infrastructure in its neighboring countries.
Informal meetings at policy and technical levels took place, with an aim to improve policy and investment decisions through increased knowledge and experience sharing. India along with China, responsible for 50% of growth in global energy demand, called for reasonable pricing, in the response to the Asian premium that makes us pay 6$ per barrel more than other western countries. Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest oil company partners with IOCL, HPCL, BPCL to set up world’s largest refinery in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra with 44 billion USD (3 lakh crores) investment.
As solar and wind tariffs of India are cheap at Rs. 2.44 per kWh, Bangladesh expressed its interests to buy at least 2000MW of the solar power set up in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Zambia expressed its interests to learn from India’s expertise in renewable energy and also said that China with its effective pricing and low-interest rates is able to win their bids. The Iranian oil minister cautioned the world against politicizing the global oil market, noted that adopting such policy will harm not only suppliers but also customers. ONGC Videsh Ltd has recently cut a deal with Iran over Farzad-B field. ONGC also expressed that it will produce gas from KG Basin by end 2019 and oil by 2021. UAE is exploring Hydrogen for its future energy strategy. The valedictory address was given by the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.
Energy is one of the prime drivers of economic and social development. Of the top 20 in the Fortune 500, seven are oil companies. The oil sector had played a crucial role in making countries powerful. Because of raising environment measures and technology disruptions every decade, organizations like IEA, OPEC, IEF are continuously working to stabilize these disruptions. India with its high GDP growth rate might be responsible for one-third of the global growth in energy demand till 2030 and is also trying to project itself as a global leader for sustainable growth. We wish to see India fulfilling these promises both to the Indian public and the world. In a world where, Energy, Infrastructure, and Connectivity are the key players, India seems to be making the right moves.
