New Delhi, September 2, 2026: India has accorded unprecedented policy priority to the energy sector over the last decade, pursuing a multi-pronged strategy spanning nuclear power, green hydrogen, biofuels and the circular economy to secure the country’s energy and food future, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
Inaugurating the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (PHDCCI) 6th International Climate Summit 2026 on the theme “India’s Energy & Food Security Mission” in New Delhi, Dr Singh said energy security was inseparable from national security, strategic autonomy and economic resilience.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science and Technology, stressed the need for an increasingly self-reliant, indigenous, affordable and technology-driven energy sector. Highlighting India’s multi-pathway approach, he said the country is targeting 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and five Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033, while simultaneously advancing green hydrogen, biofuels, ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel.
Dr Singh also highlighted the rapid expansion of India’s startup and biotechnology ecosystem. He said the number of startups has grown from around 350 in 2014 to nearly 2.4 lakh, while biotechnology startups have reached nearly 13,000. The country’s bio-economy, he added, has expanded from USD 10 billion to nearly USD 200 billion.
He further highlighted the Rs 1 lakh crore RDI Fund aimed at boosting private-sector participation in research and development, and said PHDCCI could play an important role as a bridge between the government and the non-government sector in India’s journey towards 2047.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chancellor, Homi Bhabha National Institute, said India would require around 28,000 TWh of energy annually to achieve a developed-nation standard of living. Renewables, he estimated, could contribute about 8,000 TWh, leaving the remaining requirement to be met through a diversified energy mix that includes nuclear and fossil energy supported by carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
Kakodkar stressed the potential of bioenergy to meet India’s cooking-fuel requirements and called for accelerating the transition from uranium to thorium-based nuclear technologies, supported by recycling and closed fuel cycles, to strengthen the country’s long-term energy security.
Mr Chakravarthy T. Kannan, Secretary General, Quality Council of India, underlined the importance of a robust national accreditation ecosystem in supporting India’s manufacturing and localisation ambitions. Drawing parallels with the healthcare and export sectors, he said QCI accreditation bodies, including the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and NABCB, currently work with more than 30,000 hospitals across the country.
He said Indian accreditation systems are recognised internationally through mutual recognition arrangements with global bodies such as IAF and ILAC, enabling Indian certifications to be accepted across more than 150 countries. He offered to collaborate with PHDCCI to develop similar multi-level accreditation frameworks for the energy and sustainability sectors.
The summit also highlighted India’s rapid renewable-energy expansion, including large-scale solar and battery-storage projects, integrated solar-wind-hydro systems and agrivoltaic models that combine agricultural activity with solar-power generation.
Mr Erik Solheim, President, Europe Asia Center, Brussels, said the traditional trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection was outdated. Renewable energy, he said, can strengthen both economic resilience and energy security by reducing dependence on volatile oil markets.
Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Former Member, NITI Aayog and former Director General, DRDO, stressed the need to balance India’s rising energy demand with its climate commitments. He said India is on track to achieve 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030, with nearly 300 GW already installed.
Saraswat estimated India’s net-zero investment requirement through 2070 at Rs 22.7 lakh crore, with an annual financing requirement of around Rs 450–500 billion. Calling for a pragmatic energy transition, he advocated low-carbon hydrogen beyond colour classifications, greater use of domestic resources through coal gasification and CCUS, reduced import dependence and increased private-sector participation in nuclear R&D.
A major focus of the summit was indigenous technology. Dr JP Gupta, Chair, Environment & Climate Change Committee, PHDCCI, announced the development of “Agni Kavach,” described as the world’s first GPU-based, open-source, AI-driven industrial risk and safety analysis software platform.
According to Gupta, the indigenously developed platform aims to reduce India’s dependence on foreign safety-analysis software, which currently costs industry upwards of Rs 1 crore annually per user in licensing and renewal fees. Positioned as a startup with potential to become a unicorn within three to four years, Agni Kavach is designed to serve process, oil and gas, fertilizer, nuclear, defence and disaster-management industries.
Gupta sought government support to scale adoption of the platform, particularly among MSMEs, where industrial accidents remain high.
Earlier, delivering the welcome address, Mr Sanjay Singhania, Vice President, PHDCCI, said the summit brought together stakeholders from science and technology, government and industry to advance India’s energy and food security mission.
Citing international benchmarks, Singhania pointed to Brazil’s decades-long ethanol ecosystem linking agriculture, industry and fuel distribution, as well as Denmark’s integration of waste-to-energy technologies, including the utilisation of heat generated by data centres, as models India could match or exceed.
He also cited an Indore-based startup that has expanded from biogas to compressed biogas, advanced biofuels and sustainable aviation fuel in collaboration with CSIR as an example of homegrown innovation. PHDCCI, he said, seeks to connect government, scientists, entrepreneurs and industry so that ideas can translate into partnerships, investment and measurable outcomes.
The summit featured technical sessions on “Bioethanol, Bio Fuels, Bio Plastics and Chemicals,” “Coal Gasification – From Coal to Value,” “Small Modular Reactors: Scalable Nuclear Solutions for India’s Energy Transition,” and “Process Safety, Risk Management & Agni Kavach.” The sessions brought together experts from government, industry, academia and research institutions to discuss technology, investment, safety and scalable solutions for India’s energy transition.
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