India to host global energy meet in Bengaluru next week

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off a three-day India Energy Week in Bengaluru on Monday.
The prime minister will also attend a plenary meeting and a round table meeting with CEOs, according to sources. The event is expected to attract more than 650 exhibitors, as well as 34 ministers from other countries.

According to insiders, this will be the first time India hosts such a large event, with a record number of chief executive officers from top energy corporations expected to attend. At India Energy Week, the Prime Minister will announce major energy projects, such as increasing ethanol blending in gasoline to 20% by 2025 under the E20 plan, which is anticipated to cut vehicular emissions and the country’s reliance on imported fuels.

India has boosted ethanol blending in gasoline from 1.53% in 2013-14 to 10.17% in 2022, and it has also pushed back its aim of 20% from 2030 to 2025-26. India imports a significant amount of its energy needs, and diversifying indigenous sources is considered as a way to minimise reliance on foreign fuel.

Sitharaman proposed in this year’s Budget to remove denatured ethyl alcohol, which is utilised in the chemical industry, from basic customs charge. According to her, this will also help the Ethanol Blending Program and the government’s energy transformation efforts.

Meanwhile, other projects to be launched by the PM at India Energy Week include solar energy cooking tops, clothing made from millions of recycled plastic pet bottles, and the launch of a green hydrogen mobility rally, according to sources. According to sources, the Prime Minister will also kick off a green hydrogen mobility rally.