India Calls For Just Energy Transition, Sees Role Of Fossil Fuels In Near Term

New Delhi: Calling for a nuanced understanding on ‘energy transition’, India on Tuesday said the shift from polluting fossil fuels to cleaner sources should be just where affordable energy is available to meet needs of developing nations.

Speaking at the inaugural session of India Energy Week, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said energy transition “is not outright replacement (of any fuel) but more shifting the primacy of one energy source over another.” Developing nations like India meet most of the energy demand from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.

While there is a call to shift from the polluting sources to renewables, India feels that move cannot be abrupt, with oil and gas as well as coal continuing to meet energy demand in the period when the cleaner sources are scaled up. “The very notion of ‘energy transition’ requires a nuanced understanding. It is not outright replacement, but more shifting the primacy of one energy source over another,” he said.

“The transition isn’t about eliminating hydrocarbons overnight but leveraging them strategically while scaling renewables to mitigate emissions.” For too long, energy transition has to be framed as a linear journey - from fossil fuels to renewables, from past to future, from problem to solution. “Even when renewables become the dominant energy sources, oil and gas will continue to play a pivotal role, not just in power generation but in stabilising grids, industrial hydrogen, and energy storage innovations,” he said.

“Energy justice must shape the new energy order. 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.” “I don’t think anyone here would disagree with me when I say that last few years - encapsulated in the whirlwind events of 2024 - have left the global energy order in transition. These include major geopolitical shifts.” “Nobody can say, with any degree of certainty, what the new framework for global energy markets will look like. But we can be sure that it is going to be transforming at breakneck speed, driven by forces that are both accelerating and colliding,” he said. Puri said the world is witnessing a recalibration of strategy, prioritising near-term profitability while keeping long-term transition efforts in play. “Before anyone accuses me of ignoring our environmental obligations, I must state that the primary focus remains on increasing the adoption of biofuels, renewables, and hydrogen,” he said adding the IEA estimated that global energy investment was going to exceed USD 3 trillion for the first time in 2024, with USD 2 trillion going to clean energy technologies and infrastructure.