Power Minister Manohar Lal meets US Energy Secretary, discusses India's nuclear expansion at G20 meet in Houston
HOUSTON — Union Power Minister Manohar Lal met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial in Houston, discussing India's nuclear energy expansion roadmap alongside power infrastructure needs for emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and data centres, the power minister's office said.
The two leaders also discussed deepening cooperation in clean energy, resilient energy infrastructure and emerging technologies. The meeting comes as US industry shows growing interest in investing in India's nuclear sector, which is targeting 100 GW of atomic energy capacity by 2047. India opened up the previously tightly controlled sector to private participation last year through the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act (SHANTI Act).
The talks also come against the backdrop of a sharp rise in India's purchases of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, as disruptions linked to the conflict in West Asia constrain supplies from traditional Gulf suppliers, according to data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.
Earlier at the G20 Ministerial, Lal spoke on the theme of "Energy Security and Affordable Baseload," highlighting India's progress in building a secure and resilient energy system. He cited the country's 552 GW of installed capacity, a non-fossil fuel share exceeding 50 per cent, and advances in solar, energy storage, nuclear power and clean cooking access. He also underlined India's commitment to technology-neutral, inclusive energy pathways and its global cooperation efforts through the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative, and the Global Biofuels Alliance.
In a separate session on "Permitting and Regulatory Efficiency," Lal outlined India's reforms to simplify approvals and improve regulatory predictability through digital platforms including the National Single Window System, PARIVESH and PM Gati Shakti. He said efficient permitting was essential for timely infrastructure development and called for greater G20 collaboration on capacity building and regulatory modernisation.
