GUWAHATI: Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday, 22 June, 2023, chaired the 12th Brainstorming Session on the future of India's oil and gas sector in Duliajan, Assam. The session brought together senior officials of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) and the leadership of major energy public sector undertakings (PSUs) to chart a course for strengthening the country's energy landscape.
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The high-level deliberations were attended by representatives from ONGC, Oil India Limited, BPCL, HPCL, Indian Oil, GAIL, IGL, NRL, Petronet LNG, Engineers India and PPAC, among others. Chief Ministers' offices of both Assam and Nagaland were also tagged in the post, reflecting the event's significance for the two states.
A central agenda of the session was the Exploration and Production (E&P) strategy for Assam and Nagaland, with deliberations focusing on the implementation roadmap under the recently signed tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Officials underscored the transformative potential of operationalising activities under the MoU, noting that unlocking the hydrocarbon reserves of the two states would generate significant economic activity across the North East and create substantial direct and indirect employment opportunities for local youth.
Participants reviewed the legislative, regulatory and institutional reforms necessary to build a future-ready and competitive integrated natural gas market in India by 2030. Discussions examined the structural changes required across the sector to improve market efficiency, transparency and long-term energy security.
The session also reviewed measures to enhance the operational efficiency of India's refineries and associated energy infrastructure, with a focus on modernisation and competitiveness in the evolving global energy environment.
Accelerating India's green energy transition featured prominently on the agenda. Participants deliberated on concrete pathways for the adoption of next-generation biofuels, identifying them as a key lever to simultaneously advance energy security and sustainability goals.
The Duliajan session is part of an ongoing series of high-level consultations that bring together policymakers and energy sector leaders to align strategy, address bottlenecks and set the direction for India's energy future.