India Petroleum Minister on Energy Challenges

With India on track to become the world’s most populous nation, its policy decisions about energy are of immense interest to the global community. With this in mind, a diverse audience of students and professionals assembled at Columbia SIPA on February 4 to hear India’s minister of petroleum and natural gas, Dr. Veerappa Moily, speak at an event co-sponsored by the Harriman Institute and the Center on Global Energy Policy.

“The quest for energy is the great challenge of the 21st century,” Moily said, underscoring the importance of a reliable energy infrastructure expansion for India as the nation’s economy and domestic energy consumption continue to rise. “National well-being is inextricably tied to energy security.”

While domestic coal supply is abundant, Moily said, India faces stiff competition in its search for oil and gas. Acknowledging the danger of overreliance on one supply source, the minister spoke about progress on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India, or TAPI, gas pipeline that will complement increased capacity for liquified natural gas. “In the United States, infrastructure provides liquidity. That is why we are looking to build an Asian pipeline grid,” he noted.

Regarding the fractious relationships between TAPI member states, Moily said that “mutual economic interests must be the foundation of political collaboration.” Ultimately, he said, all four countries stand to benefit immensely from an interconnected infrastructure.

Professor Jenik Radon, who coordinated the talk, said he was delighted to hear the emphasis on pipeline infrastructure development as a means to strengthening regional ties.

— Benjamin Martinez Newman