Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India is moving towards the vision of self-reliance and energy priority is its biggest priority. Access to energy should be reliable and the government is working towards increasing domestic gas production, Modi said while delivering the inaugural address at India Energy Forum, to be held between October 26-28, which will be attended by 45 CEOs of major oil and gas companies.
"India's energy future is bright and secure. The country will nearly double its energy consumption over the long term," he said. India is soon set to double energy consumption, he noted.
"With a smaller carbon footprint, our energy sector will be growth-centric, industry-friendly and environment-conscious," Modi added.
"In the last six years, over 11 million smart LED street lights were installed. This has enabled an estimated energy saving of 60 billion units per year. The estimated greenhouse gas emission reduction with this programme is over 4.5 crore tonnes of CO2 annually," PM Modi said while lauding India's efforts of energy conservation.
He also said that India will always work keeping in mind global good and the country's well on track to meet the commitment we made to the global community.
Speaking at the event, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said, "India is the third largest energy consumer, demand expected to grow further. Energy agenda in India is inclusive, sensitive to climate change." Adding, he said that levels of petroleum product consumption have reached pre-coronavirus period.
India is the third-largest consumer of crude oil and fourth-largest LNG importer.