India Charts Bold Upstream Energy Strategy at Urja Varta 2025

India is stepping up its energy security strategy with a renewed focus on upstream oil and gas exploration, diversification of crude sources, and robust policy reforms, as highlighted by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri, at Urja Varta 2025 in New Delhi. Addressing the fireside chat, he underscored India’s proactive response to global disruptions by expanding crude imports from 27 to 40 countries. He credited Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s leadership for India’s role as a net stabilising force in global energy markets. Acknowledging the sector’s transformation, he highlighted major reforms such as the restructured Oilfields Regulation and Development Act (ORDA), revised Petroleum and Natural Gas (PNG) Rules 2025, and Model Revenue Sharing Contracts (MRSC), aimed at simplifying business procedures, enhancing transparency, and boosting investor confidence.
India’s upstream reforms are expected to unlock one million sq. km of previously inaccessible acreage, particularly offshore areas like the Andaman Basin. He noted India’s potential to emerge as a global frontier for deepwater exploration, driven by advanced geoscientific data, policy incentives, and international collaboration. He also launched the Hydrocarbon Resource Assessment Studies and a cloud-based National Data Repository to democratise exploration data. The Inter-Ministerial Round Table held on the sidelines of Urja Varta 2025 witnessed participation from 22 states and Union Territories (UTs), reaffirming the role of Centre-State cooperation in India’s energy transition. With over Rs. 4,00,000 crore (US$ 46.5 billion) invested in energy infrastructure in the past decade and plans to invest Rs. 30,00,000-35,00,000 crore (US$ 348–406 billion) by 2035, India is positioning itself as a transparent, reliable, and investor-friendly global energy leader. 

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