Oil Minister Hardeep Puri briefs India’s new envoy to Qatar on energy issues

New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met India’s newly appointed Ambassador to Qatar K. Srikar Reddy to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral energy relations between India and the Gulf country.

“Happy to meet Amb. Dr. K. Srikar Reddy Ji, with whom I’ve had the opportunity of working during my tenure in the Ministry of Commerce between 2019-2021. It is wonderful to see him take on his new responsibility as India’s Ambassador to Qatar”, Puri said in a post on X.

“India and Qatar share a warm and enduring partnership, with energy cooperation as one of its key pillars. During my visit to Doha in April 2026, I had fruitful discussions with Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi on further strengthening our strategic partnership and building a reliable, long-term energy relationship,” the minister said.

Puri highlighted that the 20-year LNG agreement between India’s Petronet LNG and QatarEnergy, securing 7.5 million tonnes of LNG annually from 2028 to 2048, is a landmark achievement in the energy partnership between the two countries and an important pillar of India’s long-term energy security.

Meanwhile, India’s LNG imports have shot up by 24 per cent to $5.6 billion during April-July of the current financial year, up from $4.5 billion in the same period of the previous financial year, with shipments being increasingly sourced from the USA amid the West Asia crisis.

India has gone in for a sharp increase in purchases of LNG and LPG from the United States as the choking of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted supplies from the Gulf countries.

In July, India’s LNG imports increased by 9.1 per cent to $1.2 billion from $1.1 billion in July 2025. Import volumes during the month stood at 2,915 mmscm, up 1.5 per cent from 2,872 mmscm in July last year, official figures showed.

India has diversified its sources for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from six countries earlier to a total of 15 countries in order to safeguard its energy supplies against supply chain disruptions due to the West Asia crisis.

The country has also broadened its crude oil sourcing network, with imports now coming from 41 countries compared with 27 earlier.

“This diversification has reduced dependence on any particular country, region or transit route and enhanced India’s ability to manage supply disruptions and market volatility,” a senior official said.

–IANS

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