Focused on green shift despite war-led scramble for conventional fuel: Puri

Petroleum minister hints at sustained lifting of Russian crude; hails IEW 2023 as a watershed event

Despite the war in Ukraine having led to a scramble for securing traditional hydrocarbons, India has kept its commitment to green transition, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said at the India Energy Week 2023.

"No matter what the global turbulence, we have not taken the eye off the ball. Green transition is the most important focus, and we have remained steadfast on that," Puri said.

He added that despite the existing challenges, the Centre has pushed for policy stability and innovation for green energy.

"Given various crises, you may have to take a few steps back, but the push must be forward," Puri said, hinting at the government continuing to snap up Russian crude oil.

"Sixty million people go to a petrol pump everyday in India. We need a significant amount of affordable energy. We have to provide our people with that. So the government has to step in," he stressed.

The Minister said the IEW 2023 comes at a watershed in the global energy landscape and that it will devise solutions to solve the global energy quadrilemma of energy access, affordability, and availability with security at its pivot and devise solutions for the future global energy transition.

"This year’s theme ‘Growth Collaboration Transition’ is very apt as it underscores the need for us to collaborate and grow together," he said.

A case in point is the government's having held a large number of special meetings with foreign energy companies to chart out further cooperation.