India on Thursday, 17 September 2026 called for secure, affordable and reliable energy to underpin development — especially for emerging economies — at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting held in the United States. The formal push came through Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Manohar Lal, who represented India at the high-table gathering, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Power.

India's Core Position at the Ministerial

Minister Manohar Lal stressed the need for international cooperation that leverages complementarities among nations to advance collective progress, while respecting diverse national circumstances and varying development priorities. He underscored that India is building a resilient, future-ready energy system — one that is increasingly digital, decentralised and consumer-centric.

He participated in deliberations across three thematic pillars: energy security and affordable baseload power; permitting and regulatory efficiency; and critical minerals alongside resilient supply chains.

Critical Minerals and Supply Chain Resilience

On critical minerals — a subject of growing geopolitical salience — the minister emphasised the urgency of secure, resilient and diversified supply chains, calling for greater circularity and downstream value creation in developing countries. He spotlighted India's National Critical Mineral Mission, which covers the entire value chain from exploration through to recycling, and called for structured G20 cooperation on recycling, recovery and supply diversification.

This comes amid intensifying global competition over minerals essential to clean energy transitions — from lithium and cobalt to rare earths — where China currently dominates processing. India's push at the G20 is consistent with its broader strategy of reducing import dependence while positioning itself as a responsible supplier nation.

India's Energy Capacity and Net Zero Commitment

The Ministry of Power highlighted that India's installed electricity generation capacity has reached 552 GW, with more than half now drawn from non-fossil fuel sources. The minister reiterated India's long-term commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070.

Notably, crossing the 552 GW threshold — and the majority-clean milestone within it — represents a significant marker in a country that was adding coal capacity at scale less than a decade ago. India's renewable push has accelerated through policy incentives, falling technology costs, and international climate commitments.

Regulatory Reforms and Clean Cooking Access

Lal showcased key regulatory reform tools that India has deployed to improve investment predictability and streamline approvals for energy infrastructure. These included the National Single Window System, PARIVESH, and PM Gati Shakti — platforms designed to cut bureaucratic friction and encourage competition across the energy sector.

The meeting also advanced outcomes on clean cooking access and regulatory efficiency for energy infrastructure development. The G20 Water Reuse Initiative was endorsed as a voluntary, science- and evidence-based framework to promote cost-effective, fit-for-purpose water reuse aligned with national policies — encouraging cooperation and exchange of best practices to strengthen water security and resilience without prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach.

What Comes Next

The ministerial-level outcomes will feed into broader G20 energy track negotiations, with member nations expected to carry forward commitments on critical mineral cooperation and regulatory harmonisation. India's active positioning — on both energy access for the Global South and supply chain sovereignty for critical minerals — signals that New Delhi intends to be a rule-shaper, not merely a rule-taker, in the evolving global energy order.