India calls for secure, affordable and reliable energy at G20 Ministerial Meeting in US
By R Anil Kumar
Houston, USA, Sep 16, 2026. India has called for secure, affordable and reliable energy supplies to support economic development, particularly in developing economies, at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting held in Houston, USA, from September 14 to 16.
Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Manohar Lal led the Indian delegation at the meeting, held under the US G20 Presidency. Discussions focused on three key areas – energy security and affordable baseload, permitting and regulatory efficiency, and critical minerals and resilient supply chains.
During his interventions, Manohar Lal stressed the importance of international cooperation and leveraging complementarities among countries while taking into account their different national circumstances and development priorities.
The Minister said India was building a resilient and future-ready energy system that is increasingly digital, decentralised and consumer-centric.
He highlighted India’s progress in the power sector, noting that the country’s installed electricity generation capacity has reached 552 GW, with more than half coming from non-fossil fuel sources.
Manohar Lal also highlighted India’s early achievement of key Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets and reiterated the country’s long-term commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070.
Focus on regulatory reforms and faster approvals
India also highlighted reforms aimed at improving regulatory efficiency, promoting competition and facilitating greater participation and investment in the energy sector.
The Minister showcased initiatives including the National Single Window System, PARIVESH and PM Gati Shakti, which have helped streamline approvals and improve predictability for infrastructure development.
The G20 Permitting and Regulatory Efficiency Symposium recognised the importance of streamlined permitting and regulatory processes for facilitating energy infrastructure development. It also encouraged voluntary information exchange, capacity building and the use of digital and artificial intelligence-enabled tools.
Critical minerals supply chains
On critical minerals, Manohar Lal stressed the need for secure, resilient and diversified supply chains, with greater emphasis on recycling, circularity and downstream value creation in developing countries.
He highlighted India’s National Critical Mineral Mission, which covers the critical mineral value chain from exploration to recycling, and called for greater G20 cooperation on recycling, recovery and diversification.
The G20 Critical Minerals Meeting Communiqué recognised the importance of critical minerals for energy security, digital infrastructure, emerging technologies and economic development. It called for voluntary and collaborative cooperation while respecting national sovereignty and different domestic pathways.
The communiqué also emphasised innovation, circularity, investment and international cooperation to support diversification, value addition and resilient supply chains.
G20 advances clean cooking and water reuse initiatives
The ministerial meeting also produced several outcomes on clean cooking and water reuse.
The G20 Statement on Advancing Clean Cooking Access underscored the objective of universal access to clean cooking and adopted a technology-neutral approach suited to national circumstances. It recognised that different countries have diverse needs and that no single solution can address them all.
The statement identified LPG as an important clean-cooking pathway, particularly for developing countries, and called for equitable access to financing for different clean-cooking solutions, including projects deploying LPG.
The G20 Water Reuse Initiative was advanced as a voluntary framework promoting science- and evidence-based and cost-effective water reuse suited to specific purposes and aligned with national policies.
The initiative encourages cooperation and the exchange of best practices to strengthen water security and resilience while recognising that approaches to water reuse need to reflect national circumstances.
Bilateral meetings with US, Canadian officials
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Manohar Lal held bilateral discussions with Chris Wright, Secretary, US Department of Energy; Doug Burgum, Secretary, US Department of the Interior; and Corey Hogan, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
The discussions covered areas of mutual interest, including resilient energy infrastructure and supply chains, transformation of the power sector and India’s plans to meet the growing energy requirements of its digital economy.
India’s participation in the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting highlighted its contribution to global discussions on energy security and its focus on developing a secure, sustainable, affordable and inclusive energy system.
