Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Friday outlined India’s ongoing efforts to enhance domestic energy production while acknowledging the country’s continued reliance on imports to meet rising demand.
Speaking at the Pioneer Biofuels 360 Summit in New Delhi, Puri said India is making notable advancements in the bioenergy and natural gas sectors. “We already have 113 compressed biogas (CBG) plants operational, with another 73 currently under construction,” he said, underlining the progress in clean energy infrastructure.
The Minister pointed to the growing number of CNG-compatible vehicles entering the Indian market as another positive development. “If you look at the new car models being launched, many are CNG-compatible. That in itself is a success story,” he added.
Highlighting the scale of LPG distribution in the country, Puri noted that India now has 33.5 crore LPG connections, including 10.5 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. However, despite this extensive network, he admitted that around 60% of LPG is still imported.
“We are defying the usual trends. Even with such wide coverage of LPG connections, we remain dependent on imports,” he said.
To address this gap, the government is pushing forward on multiple fronts to increase domestic fuel production. “Our refineries will scale up output, and we’re ramping up efforts in exploration and production (E&P),” Puri said.
On the natural gas front, he reported positive growth. “Our domestic gas production is rising at an annual rate of 18%, though we still import about 50% of our natural gas requirements,” he noted.
Puri reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), stressing that while full energy self-sufficiency will take time, progress is being made. “A country like India, facing these challenges, is steadily moving toward self-reliance. In the meantime, we will continue to import, increase domestic production, and diversify our sources,” he said.
India, the third-largest energy consumer globally, currently uses around 5.4 million barrels of oil per day. It imports roughly 80% of its crude oil and 50% of its natural gas needs. To reduce risk and ensure stable supplies, India now sources oil and gas from nearly 40 countries around the world.
