India will expand its refining sector, deepen its focus on offshore oil and gas exploration and increase its share of cleaner fuels as part of its energy growth road map, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Addressing India Energy Week (IEW) 2025 via video message, Modi underscored the need for a broad-based approach embracing all fuel types to ensure sustainable energy security.

“India is committed to global sustainability, and this is creating more opportunities in our energy sector,” Modi said. He highlighted recent policy reforms aimed at attracting global investors and accelerating the transition towards a cleaner and more secure energy future.

As one of the world’s largest refining hubs, India plans to increase its refining capacity by 20 per cent, from the current 256.8 million tonnes (mt) to 310mt by 2030.

Modi emphasised that India’s energy strategy integrates traditional and emerging fuels to meet rising demand while staying aligned with global sustainability goals.

“Some of our recent energy reforms will help us achieve our targets,” Modi told the conference. “On the oil side, we are expanding our refining capacity while ensuring a diversified fuel mix.”

Beyond refining, India aims to ramp up deepwater exploration and expand its natural gas footprint. The push for gas aligns with the government’s goal of raising the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030, up from the current 6 per cent.

Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy emerged as a key discussion point, with oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri emphasising its role in India’s energy transition. “Nuclear power is an efficient solution, but its commercial rollout requires structured policymaking. I expect it to be a major topic in global energy discussions,” Puri said.