Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will interact with CEOs of leading Global Oil & Gas Companies in the annual event organized by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas at 6.00 PM IST on 26 October 2020 via video conferencing. 

India is an important player in the global Oil and gas sector being the 3rd largest consumer of crude oil and the 4th largest LNG importer. Realizing the need for India to graduate from a passive consumer to an active and vocal stake-holder in the global Oil & Gas value chain, NITI Aayog initiated the first roundtable of global Oil & Gas CEOs with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in 2016. 

The growth of the event was apparent as around 45-50 global CEOs and key stakeholders who shape the global Oil & Gas sector assembled every subsequent year to interact and discuss the issues and opportunities with the Hon’ble Prime Minister. The impact of the annual global CEO’s interaction can be seen in the gravity of discussion, quality of suggestions and the seriousness with which they are acted upon. 

This the 5th such event organized by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Around 45 CEOs of major Oil and Gas companies will attend the event this year.  

The objective behind the meeting is to deliver a global platform to understand best-practices, discuss reforms, and inform strategies for accelerating investments into the Indian Oil and Gas value chain. The annual interaction has gradually become one of the most important gatherings of not only intellectual debate but also of executive action. The event also grows in stature with the rise of India, the world's third-largest energy consumer, which is likely to see over USD 300 billion investment by 2030 in the Oil & Gas sector to meet rising demand. 

Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel will provide the opening remarks. The opening remarks will be followed by a comprehensive presentation giving an overview of the Oil & Gas Sector, and explaining the ambition and opportunities in the Indian Oil & Gas Sector.     

This is to be followed by the interaction session with global CEOs and experts. Key global Oil and Gas stakeholders like H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber CEO, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE, H.E. Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs of Qatar, Deputy Chairman, President & CEO, Qatar Petroleum, H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General, OPEC, Austria, will lead the session with their inputs on the Oil and Gas sector. 

Dr. Igor Sechin, Chairman & CEO, Rosneft, Russia, Mr. Bernard Looney, CEO, BP Ltd., Mr. Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman & CEO, Total S.A., France, Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited, Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director, RIL, Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency, France, Mr. Joseph Mc Monigle, Secretary General, International Energy Forum, Saudi Arabia, and Yury Sentyurin Secretary-General, GECF will also share their inputs to the Hon’ble Prime Minister. CEOs & Experts  of major oil & gas companies like Lyondell Basell, Tellurian, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, JERA, Emerson and X-Coal, Indian Oil & Gas Companies will also present their perspective. 

Prior to this the Prime Minister will inaugurate the India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, now in its fourth year.  It is hosted by IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.  The event will convene an international group of speakers and a community of overa a thousand delegates from India and over 30 countries, including from regional energy companies, energy-related industries, institutions and governments.

The Inaugural Speakers include:

• H.R.H. Abdulaziz bin Salman AI Saud – Minister of Energy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and

• Dan Brouillette – Secretary of Energy, United States of America

• Dr. Daniel Yergin – Vice Chairman, IHS Markit, Chairman, CERAWeek

Key topics to be explored during India Energy Forum include : Impact of the Pandemic on India’s future energy demand; securing supplies for India’s economic growth; what does energy transition and the climate agenda mean for India; natural gas in India’s Energy Mix : What’s the path; refining & petrochemicals : Strategies midst surplus; the pace of innovation : Biofuel, hydrogen, CCS, electric vehicles and digital transformation and; market and regulatory reform : What is ahead?

VRRK/AKP