New Delhi, August 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met India’s newly appointed Ambassador to Qatar K. Srikar Reddy and discussed ways to further strengthen the energy partnership between the two countries.
Puri said he was pleased to meet Reddy, with whom he had worked during his tenure in the Ministry of Commerce between 2019 and 2021.
“India and Qatar share a warm and enduring partnership, with energy cooperation as one of its key pillars,” Puri said in a post on X.
The minister recalled his visit to Doha in April 2026, when he held discussions with Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi on deepening the strategic partnership and developing a reliable, long-term energy relationship.
Puri highlighted the 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreement between Petronet LNG and QatarEnergy as a key milestone. Under the agreement, India is set to receive 7.5 million tonnes of LNG annually from 2028 to 2048, strengthening the country’s long-term energy security.
Meanwhile, India’s LNG imports rose 24 per cent to $5.6 billion during April-July of the current financial year, compared with $4.5 billion during the corresponding period of the previous year. LNG supplies have increasingly been sourced from the United States amid disruptions linked to the West Asia crisis.
India has also stepped up purchases of LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the US as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have affected supplies from Gulf producers.
In July, LNG imports rose 9.1 per cent year-on-year to $1.2 billion from $1.1 billion. Import volumes increased 1.5 per cent to 2,915 million standard cubic metres (mmscm), compared with 2,872 mmscm in July 2025, according to official data.
India has significantly diversified its energy import sources, increasing the number of countries supplying LNG from six to 15. Its crude oil sourcing network has also expanded from 27 countries to 41.
“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.
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