All about the revised Green India Mission to increase forest cover, address climate change
International Yoga Day: Why is it hard to pinpoint the origin of yoga?
QA::Why Madhya Pradesh CM's wish to count snakes and rear king cobras is unfeasible
What new Registration Bill says, why it was introduced
Energy transition requires a “nuanced understanding” and should not be seen as outright replacement of fossil fuels, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Tuesday. He added that energy transition should instead be seen more in the sense of shifting the “primacy of one energy source over another”.
“The transition isn’t about eliminating hydrocarbons overnight but leveraging them strategically while scaling renewables to mitigate emissions,” the minister said. He further said that that energy justice, affordability, and availability for developing nations should be at the core of energy transition.
“There must never be energy shortage, there must be availability at all times, there has to be affordability, and it has to be couched in strong sustainability… I think those of us who are working for governments, we have a moral duty to make sure that energy is made available on a constant basis to our consumers,” Puri said.
According to Puri, the answer to energy transition lies in strategic investment across hydrocarbons and renewables, with smart capital reallocation. He gave examples such as deploying wind and solar where intermittency is manageable, biofuels where liquid fuel demand persists, and gas where firm power is essential, to achieve both energy affordability and decarbonisation.
Most of the developing world, including India, depend on fossil fuels to meet a bulk of their energy needs. Although the country has been making strides in renewable energy and future fuels, it has been calling for just, planned, and gradual transition to cleaner fuels, and continued investments in the oil and gas value chain to ensure dependable energy supply.
Puri added that the world is currently witnessing a recalibration of strategy, prioritising near-term profitability while keeping long-term transition efforts in play.
“The transition has an air of inevitability about it. Transition will take place, but equally transition will not take place if you couch the debate in ideological terms. That there is a choice between X (fossil fuels) and Y (green energy), that we must stop investment in X and move to Y… that is a recipe for disaster,” Puri said.
There have been concerns that with global attention on green energy over the past few years, the oil and gas industry is at risk of severe underinvestment, which could lead to more frequent energy price shocks. A number of international experts have opined that efforts should be made to keep the existing energy systems, which are fossil fuel-intensive, robust to protect consumers and the global economy from such price shocks.
On its part, India has been advocating for necessary investments in oil and gas projects to ensure that enough production is available to meet global demand in the years to come, while also making efforts to accelerate transition to green energy. As the third-largest consumer of crude oil that depends on imports to meet over 85 per cent of its requirement of the commodity, India is extremely sensitive to volatility in the global oil market. The country has also been advocating for more access to clean energy technologies and climate finance for itself and the Global South at large.
“One thing has become absolutely clear to all stakeholders. Energy justice must remain at the core of the imminent transformation. A fragmented transition risks deepening inequality, leaving billions without reliable energy while wealthier nations surge ahead. If the transition is not just, it will not succeed because the political economy will not allow it,” Puri said.
