India’s Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, attended the G20 Energy Abundance Working Group meetings in Houston on 15 September 2026. He represented India in discussions on global energy policy and held separate talks with energy officials from the United States and Canada to expand bilateral cooperation.
What India discussed at G20
Under the first pillar focussing on energy security and affordable baseload power, the Minister highlighted India’s energy infrastructure achievements. India now has an installed capacity of 552 GW, with non-fossil energy sources accounting for over 50% of the total. The Minister pointed to progress in solar power, energy storage systems, nuclear energy, and extending clean cooking access across the country.
India also stressed its commitment to technology-neutral energy pathways through global partnerships including the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative, and the Global Biofuels Alliance.
Under the second pillar on permitting and regulatory efficiency, the Minister outlined India’s recent reforms to speed up approvals and improve regulatory certainty. These reforms include the National Single Window System, the PARIVESH digital platform, and PM Gati Shakti. The Minister argued that streamlined permitting procedures are vital for faster infrastructure projects and called for greater G20 cooperation in regulatory modernisation and capacity development.
Bilateral talks with US and Canada
The Minister met Chris Wright, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, and discussed India’s power infrastructure needs for artificial intelligence, high-performance computing facilities, and data centres. Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.–India Energy Security Partnership, with focus areas including clean energy development, resilient infrastructure, and new energy technologies.
In a separate meeting with Corey Hogan, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, discussions centred on energy efficiency cooperation, low emission technologies, and offshore energy exploration under India’s Samundra Manthan scheme. The Minister invited Canadian companies to participate in India’s oil and gas exploration sector.
What this means for you
These discussions signal India’s push to strengthen its energy independence through diverse sources while pursuing cleaner alternatives. Expanded international partnerships may eventually lead to better technology transfer, lower energy costs, and faster deployment of clean energy infrastructure across India. India’s focus on regulatory efficiency could also mean faster project approvals for energy infrastructure in the coming years.