THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 30, 2026

India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 concluded on a high note in Goa, strongly reaffirming India’s emergence as a resilient, forward-looking and influential force in the global energy landscape at a time of heightened geopolitical flux. Addressing the Closing Ceremony, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said India has demonstrated exceptional preparedness to navigate sustained volatility in global energy markets while remaining firmly positioned at the centre of international energy dialogue.

Speaking during the closing fireside chat, the Union Minister emphasised that India’s energy strategy is rooted in diversification, resilience and a decisive shift toward future-ready solutions. “India has coped very well with successive geopolitical shocks. Each challenge has been converted into an opportunity — through diversification of supply sources and a rapid transition towards cleaner fuels,” Shri Puri said, underlining how policy agility and strategic foresight have strengthened the country’s energy security.

Highlighting India’s growing global stature, Puri noted that the country is now the world’s third-largest energy consumer, the fourth-largest refiner and among the leading exporters of petroleum products. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring availability, affordability and sustainability of energy, even as global markets remain uncertain. According to him, India’s ability to balance domestic priorities with international responsibilities has enhanced its credibility as a dependable energy partner.

Adding depth to this perspective, Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, outlined the government’s roadmap to support India’s projected economic growth of over 7 percent in the coming years. He stressed the importance of strengthening domestic exploration and production to enhance energy self-reliance, while simultaneously positioning India as a reliable global supplier of refined petroleum products. Dr. Mittal also drew attention to the increasing role of digitalisation, artificial intelligence and logistics optimisation in improving efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing resilience across the energy value chain.

The final day of IEW 2026 also celebrated innovation and excellence across the energy ecosystem, with a series of awards recognising cutting-edge technologies, leadership and impactful solutions from startups, academia and industry. Under AVINYA – The Energy Startup Challenge, Minimines Cleantech Solutions emerged as the winner for its proprietary HHM process that enables low-carbon recovery of high-value materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, with applications extending to solar panels, catalytic converters and permanent magnets.

The VASUDHA – Overseas Upstream Startup Challenge was won by SENERGETICS of The Netherlands, recognised for its AI-driven corrosion monitoring solutions that significantly enhance safety, reliability and sustainability in upstream energy operations. In the Hackathon Challenge, IIT Bombay secured the top honour for “Aura,” an AI-powered unified reservoir analysis platform that integrates advanced machine learning to improve exploration and production decision-making.

Industry leadership was acknowledged through the FIPI/IIP Annual Awards. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited was named Exploration Company of the Year, while Oil India Limited received the Oil & Gas Production Company of the Year award in the over 1 MTOE category. Reliance Industries Limited’s SEZ Refinery at Jamnagar was recognised as Refinery of the Year, and innovation leadership honours were jointly conferred on Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s R&D Division and Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited’s Innovation Center.

As IEW 2026 drew to a close, it reinforced India’s image as a steady, credible and pragmatic energy leader — capable of balancing energy security, affordability and sustainability while fostering innovation and global collaboration.

As the country’s flagship global energy platform, India Energy Week continues to serve as a neutral international forum that brings together policymakers, industry leaders and innovators to drive investment, policy alignment and technological cooperation, shaping a secure and sustainable global energy future.