India’s growing energy needs and the proposed import of American lNG from early 2018 figured prominently in the discussions that Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas held with US Energy Secretary Rick Perry here on Wednesday.
In what was the first Minister-level interaction between India and the US under the Donald Trump administration, the two sides deliberated on various aspects of India-US energy cooperation, including the subject of Indian investment in America’s lNG and shale gas sector.
The Minister invited Perry to visit India for the next round of bilateral energy dialogue. A former Governor of Texas, having served in that position for 14 years, Perry on his part wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the State’s premier city, Houston, when he visits the US next time.
A Modi visit to the United States is expected later this year, following an invitation extended by President Trump when he held a telephone conversation just four days after his inauguration and lauded India as a “true friend and partner”. Pradhan responded by saying he would convey the message to the PM.
Houston, known as the oil capital of the US, also has a large Indian-American population. By visiting Houston and interacting with its energy community, Perry felt that Modi could add a new dimension to US-India relations.
Pradhan arrived in Washington after attending the CERA Week energy summit in Houston, where he announced the new bidding round in India that will start from July 2017.