Our energy sector is at the centre of our aspirations. There are investment opportunities worth 500 billion dollars in this sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during India Energy Week in his video conference address. He urged investors to invest in India and said, “My call is: Make in India, Innovate in India, Scale with India, Invest in India.”

Explaining the rising demand for LNG, he said, “We have set a target to meet 15% of our total energy demand from LNG. Therefore, we need to work on the entire LNG value chain. Recently, a Rs 70,000 crore programme has been launched for shipbuilding in India. Along with this, there are many investment opportunities in the construction of LNG terminals at the country’s ports. Large investment possibilities are also emerging in regasification projects.”

He also spoke about investments in LNG transportation in India over the past few years. “There are still possibilities for investment on a very large scale. Today, the city gas distribution network has reached many cities across India, and we are rapidly connecting more cities. City gas distribution is also a very attractive area for investment.”

The Prime Minister said India has opened up its exploration sector significantly and is aiming to attract $100 billion in its oil and gas sector by the end of this decade. “Our target is also to expand the scope of exploration to one million square kilometres. With this approach, more than 170 blocks have already been awarded. The Andaman Nicobar basin is also emerging as our next hydrocarbon hope,” Modi added.

India is riding on the Reforms Express and carrying out reforms rapidly across sectors. The country is undertaking reforms to empower domestic hydrocarbons and is creating a transparent and investor-friendly environment for global collaboration. India is now working towards energy independence, moving beyond energy security. It is developing an energy ecosystem that can meet domestic demand while remaining competitive for exports through affordable refining and transportation solutions.

He said India is working extensively on global partnerships across sectors. Modi said, “If I talk about the energy sector alone, there are huge investment opportunities across different parts of the energy value chain. Take exploration, for example. India has opened up this sector significantly. You are also aware of the Samudrayaan Mission linked to deep-sea exploration. We are striving to take investment in our oil and gas sector to 100 billion dollars by the end of this decade. Our target is also to expand exploration to one million square kilometres. With this approach, more than 170 blocks have already been awarded. The Andaman Nicobar basin is becoming our next hydrocarbon hope.”