Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually addressed the inaugural session of the 3rd edition of the India Energy Week (IEW) 2025 at Yashobhoomi – India International Convention & Expo Centre (IICC) in New Delhi, Delhi from 11 – 14 February 2025.
- It was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) and jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) and DMG Events, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT).
- It served as a platform for policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to collaborate on sustainable energy solutions to shape the future of energy on a global scale.
- IEW 2026 is scheduled to take place in Goa.
Note: The 1st IEW was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in February 2023 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, under the theme of Growth, Collaboration, Transition – under India’s Group of Twenty (G20) Presidency.
Objectives of IEW 2025:
India Energy Week 2025 will serve as a key platform for global collaboration, driving discussions on energy security, innovation, and sustainability.
9 Thematic Zones:
IEW 2025 introduced 9 thematic zones, each focusing on different aspects of the energy sector:
1.Hydrogen Zone – Hosted by Oil India Limited (OIL)
2.Biofuels Zone – Highlighting India’s advancements in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Compressed Biogas (CBG), and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
3.Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) – Featuring innovations in solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies.
4.Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) EcoSystem – Hosted by Petronet LNG
5.Make In India (MII) Zone – Hosted by Engineers India Limited (EIL).
6.City Gas Distribution (CGD) Zone – Hosted by GAIL (India) Limited (formerly known as Gas Authority of India Limited), emphasizing India’s rapid progress towards a gas-based economy.
7.Petrochemicals (Petrochem) Zone – Hosted by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
8.Innovation Zone (IZ) – Featuring emerging startups.
9.Digitalisation Zone – Showcasing Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and automation in optimizing energy production and distribution.
Key Focus Areas of IEW 2025
i.India is prioritizing biofuels, flex-fuel vehicles, ethanol blending, and green hydrogen.
ii.Green Hydrogen Goal: Targeting 5 million metric tons (MMT) annual production by 2030.
iii.Launched Open Acreage Licensing Program (OALP) Round X, covering 200,000 sq. km, to attract investments.
iv.Plans to increase natural gas consumption from 6% to 15% in India’s energy mix and strengthen Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply partnerships.
v.Expanding oil and gas assets in Brazil, Venezuela, Russia, and Mozambique, leveraging new oil sources.
vi.Energy Startup Challenges:
- Avinya’25 – Energy Startup Challenge: Led by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), recognizing startups for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) solutions, and renewable energy innovations.
- Vasudha – Oil and Gas Startup Challenge: Awarded AI-driven (Artificial Intelligence) innovations in the upstream oil and gas sector by overseas startups.
India’s Energy Achievements:
- India rose from the 10th to the 5th largest economy in the past decade.
- Solar energy capacity grew 32 times, making India the 3rd-largest solar power producer globally.
- Renewable Energy Milestone: Non-Fossil Fuel (NFF) capacity tripled, making India the 1st G20 nation to meet Paris Agreement (PA) climate goals.
- Achieved 19% ethanol blending, targeting 20% by October 2025, reducing Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and saving Foreign Exchange (FX).
- India is the 4th-largest refining hub, with plans to increase capacity by 20%.
- The Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) has been established under India’s G20 presidency, now comprises 28 nations and 12 international organisations.
Note: The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects a 60% rise in India’s natural gas consumption to 103 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) annually by 2030.
Ministerial Roundtable on Clean Cooking at IEW 2025
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, MoPNG chaired a Ministerial Roundtable on Clean Cooking during the IEW 2025. The session showcased India’s achievements in providing universal access to clean cooking gas.The roundtable demonstrated India’s emergence as a leader in clean cooking solutions for the Global South.
i.India’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was a focal point, offering Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) access at:
- 7 cents per day for beneficiaries
- 15 cents per day for other consumers
- This affordability ensures that millions gain access to clean cooking fuel, reducing reliance on traditional biomass.
iv.The Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOCL) advanced solar cookers, featuring integrated solar panels, are priced at approximately USD 500 per unit with no additional costs over their lifecycle.
India’s Petrochemical Demand & Industry Resilience:
i.India’s Rising Demand: Despite a global slowdown, India is emerging as a key market for petrochemicals (petchem) in 2025.Demand for Electric Vehicle (EV) components, solar panels, and household appliances.
Crucial Role of Petrochemicals:
- Used in plastics, paints, pharmaceuticals, and essential goods.
- Strong demand in propylene and the automobile sector, while white goods consumption is recovering.
ii.India is set to receive USD 87 billion in petrochemical investments over the next decade to meet rising demand.
iii.India currently consumes 25 to 30 MMTs of petrochemical products annually. The industry, valued at USD 220 billion, is projected to expand to USD 300 billion by 2025.
iv.The major investments in petrochemicals include:
- Nayara Energy Limited (NEL), formerly known as Essar Oil Limited (EOL) and Haldia Petrochemicals have announced plans to increase production capacity.
- Petronet LNG is establishing a 750,000 metric Tons-Per-Year (TPY) propane dehydrogenation unit and a 500,000 TPY polypropylene unit in Gujarat.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Launches 10th Bidding Round for Oil & Gas Assets
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched the 10th bidding round for O&G under the Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) on the sidelines of IEW 2025.
- This round offers more than 1.91 lakh square kilometers (sq. km) for the Exploration and Production (E&P) of O&G, making it the largest bid round in terms of acreage under the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) regime.
Note: This is the first bid round after Parliament passed the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act in December 2024, enhancing the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in the E&P sector.
The first bidding round under OALP (Bid Round I) was launched in January 2018 and closed in May 2018 and 55 blocks covering 59,282 sq. km. area were awarded in October 2018.
Awards and Challenges in IEW 2025:
Avinya’25 Energy Startup Challenge Awards
i.Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Pankaj Jai, Secretary, MoPNG presented the Avinya’25 Energy Startup Challenge awards, the MoPNG’s flagship initiative, recognising startups with pioneering solutions addressing key energy challenges.
ii.The winners of Avinya’25 Energy Startup Challenge awards are:
- UrjanovaC Private Limited (Winner) – CO₂ capture & conversion technology.
- Breathe ESG Private Limited (1st Runner-up) – Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance automation.
- AgriVijay (2nd Runner-up) – Renewable energy marketplace.
- Apeiro Energy (3rd Runner-up) – Hybrid microgrids.
- UGreen Technology (4th Runner-up) – Carbon capture innovation.
Vasudha – Oil & Gas Startup Challenge:
i.The MoPNG introduced Vasudha – Oil and Gas Startup Challenge, an exclusive competition for overseas startups revolutionising the upstream oil and gas sector.
ii.Out of 17 entries from 13 countries, 2 visionary startups were recognized namely:
- Latin Energy Partners Inc. (LEP) of Paraguay was named the Winner.
- Ultrasound Process Consultation LLC (the United States of America (USA) was named the Runner-up.
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad Wins Hackathon on Carbon Capture at India Energy Week 2025
A team of students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (Indian School of Mines (ISM)) in Dhanbad, Jharkhand secured 1st place at the Pan-India IIT Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) Hackathon during IEW 2025. Hardeep Singh Puri and Pankaj Jain MoPNG presented them with the award for developing a patented process for producing Nitrogen-doped Multilayer Graphene (N-MLG) nanopowder for CO2 adsorption and conversion.
- IIT Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, Assam has emerged as runners-up in the Hackathon.
- The patented process for producing N-MLG nanopowder is a green technology innovation that uses bamboo powder.
Note: The hackathon was organised among 7 premier IITs, focussing on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technologies, and the development of cost-effective renewable energy sources, storage systems, and integration.
ii.It features a unique porous, layered structure ideal for capturing CO2, providing a low-cost, green alternative for energy and environmental applications worldwide.
Click here for MoUs signed during the IEW 2025
