Energy, Natural Resources and Chemicals

India stands at a rare inflection point in history. The convergence of global geopolitical and economic shifts presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for India to strengthen its global position, redefine its strategic relevance and emerge as a key architect of the new world order.

India’s opportunity lies not in insulating itself from the changing global order, but in engaging with it strategically. As global interdependencies evolve, India must balance openness with resilience, build trusted partnerships, diversify its economic relationships and define clear boundaries for engagement. The real opportunity is to become a confident, competitive and indispensable player in the emerging world order

Evolving shape of the global economy and our energy future

The global energy landscape has reached a defining inflection point, where geopolitics, economic uncertainty and technological disruption are increasingly shaping energy security. Recent developments in the Middle East have exposed the vulnerabilities of global supply chains and challenged the assumption that energy independence guarantees insulation from geopolitical shocks. The US may have transformed from a major oil importer to a leading producer and exporter, but the strategic importance of the Persian Gulf remains undiminished. At the same time, weakening global demand and economic pressures are adding further complexity to an already volatile market. The lesson is clear: energy security cannot be viewed merely through the lens of production and supply, but must account for resilience, interdependence and geopolitical realities. The future of energy will depend as much on navigating uncertainty as on securing resources.

The energy transition must go beyond electrification to building a resilient and diversified energy ecosystem. With electricity’s share of global energy consumption rising from 16% to 23% since 2000, the ambition is to reach 35% by 2035. However, supply-chain dependencies and unequal national capabilities pose significant challenges. The priority must be smarter electrification that balances sustainability, energy security, affordability and resilience.

India's energy transition is generating an unprecedented scale of infrastructure activity. As we expand electrification, the focus must extend beyond generation to transmission networks and energy storage. The real question is whether our planning, investment and execution capabilities are keeping pace with the scale of ambition. Building capacity is only one part of the equation; ensuring that the infrastructure can support, transmit and store energy efficiently will be equally critical.

Rising oil prices, tightening inventories and higher financing costs highlight the need for immediate diversification and efficiency measures. Longer term, resilience will depend on building energy systems that are secure, affordable and sustainable.

For India, this is both an imperative and an opportunity: ensuring energy security while creating capabilities that power growth at home and competitiveness globally.

Geopolitical uncertainty, rising demand, the rapid adoption of AI and the transition to cleaner energy systems are reshaping the global landscape. Yet beneath these emerging trends lies a timeless challenge: ensuring energy remains affordable, secure and sustainable.

What makes today's business environment particularly challenging is not the scale of any single disruption, but the way multiple risks are converging and reinforcing one another. Geopolitical tensions, resource constraints, cyber threats and energy-linked disruptions are creating ripple effects that extend far beyond their point of origin. Organisations that strengthen resilience, anticipate change and build the agility to adapt in an increasingly interconnected world will be better positioned to navigate uncertainty and unlock long-term growth.

The global energy landscape has changed dramatically since the pandemic. While many believed COVID-19 marked the peak of global oil demand, consumption has since rebounded to record levels, underscoring the world's growing appetite for energy.

The rapid expansion of AI, data centres, electric mobility, manufacturing and rising living standards is driving unprecedented demand for electricity. At the same time, energy security and grid resilience are becoming critical priorities.

The challenge is not simply to increase energy supply, but to balance growth with efficiency, decarbonisation and resilience. Energy is no longer the unsung force working behind the scenes. It has become central to economic growth, technological progress and national security.

Energy is no longer just an operational consideration; it is central to business strategy, competitiveness and resilience. CEOs are increasingly focused on diversifying energy sources, improving efficiency and leveraging AI to drive more sustainable business outcomes. What is particularly encouraging is the growing recognition that sustainability must be embedded into the way businesses operate, not simply in response to regulation, but because it makes sound business and economic sense.

India's next phase of growth will be determined not by how well it navigates disruption, but by how effectively it turns disruption into an opportunity to transform.
 

• The changing nature of disruption
  Disruption is no longer episodic; it is becoming the operating environment for every business and government.
  
  
• Supply-chain resilience
  Resilience will not come from localisation alone, but from the right balance of diversification, domestic capabilities, strategic buffers and global collaboration.
  
  
• India's energy transition
  Electrification is not merely an energy transition for India; it is an economic growth, energy security and competitiveness imperative.
  
  
• Leadership in an uncertain world
  In an interconnected world, leaders must move beyond managing individual risks to building systems that can anticipate, absorb and adapt to disruption.
  
  
• India's opportunity
  India's opportunity is to move from being a consumer of global innovation to becoming a creator of technologies, products and solutions for the world.

Innovation is not constrained by a lack of ideas; the real challenge is taking those ideas to scale. The Energy Innovation Collaborative is designed to bridge this gap by bringing together industry, academia, startups and investors to identify critical challenges and accelerate solutions.

Our ambition goes beyond facilitating conversations; it is about institutionalising innovation and connecting promising ideas with the capabilities, partnerships and capital needed to succeed. We are beginning with grids because resilient, adaptive and future-ready grid infrastructure is fundamental to the success of the energy transition.

The question we must ask of every innovation is whether it can help grids carry more, see more, respond faster, flex more and recover better. Ultimately, we want to create a collaborative ecosystem that turns innovation into meaningful, scalable impact.

As disruption becomes a permanent feature of the global landscape, organisations must address two critical imperatives: the affordability of energy and reliable access to it.

These considerations extend far beyond an organisation's own operations. They influence supply chains, production economics, competitiveness and long-term growth. Increasingly, the ability to secure dependable and cost-effective energy is becoming a critical determinant of business resilience and sustained value creation.

The 35 by 35 electrification ambition is achievable, but commitments alone will not deliver transformation. The real challenges lie in building the grid and infrastructure at scale, driving demand-side electrification across industries, and creating the government policies that unlock investment. India offers an important lesson: when government and industry work together, clean energy ambitions can translate into phenomenal progress.

The future of energy lies not just in generating more power, but in intelligently matching supply with demand. AI-driven grid flexibility and falling battery storage costs will be key to solving the energy equation.

Energy is not a cost for the AI industry; it is the source of its revenue and future growth. Hyperscalers are no longer just looking at power generation – they are increasingly influencing the development of grids and the future energy mix.

Geopolitical uncertainty, rising demand, the rapid adoption of AI and the transition to cleaner energy systems are reshaping the global landscape. Yet beneath these emerging trends lies a timeless challenge: ensuring energy remains affordable, secure and sustainable.

The connections in our energy systems have always existed. What 2026 has exposed is the speed and scale at which disruptions in one part of the system can ripple across the entire ecosystem.

One of the reasons ENRich remains such an important global forum is its ability to bring together diverse perspectives on the future of energy. I'm especially looking forward to conversations around four interconnected challenges:
 

• Growing energy demand
• Unlocking investment
• Managing the complexity of multiple transition priorities
• Ensuring progress withstands increasing scrutiny

Success will depend on turning intent into outcomes.

AI and energy are like two moons colliding – each needs the other. Energy is fundamental to AI's growth, while AI has the potential to transform energy systems through optimisation, efficiency and smarter operations. The real challenge is managing the risks as these two industries converge.

In an increasingly volatile world, energy leaders are being asked to manage far more than supply and demand. Extreme weather events, cybersecurity threats, geopolitical uncertainty, evolving market dynamics, and aging infrastructure are all placing unprecedented pressure on the stability of energy systems.
 

The conversation now needs to shift beyond short-term reliability to long-term resilience. How do we strengthen electricity and broader energy systems while keeping costs affordable? How do we accelerate investment in critical infrastructure? And how do governments, regulators, investors, and industry work together to build systems that can withstand disruption not just today, but over the next 15 to 20 years?
 

These are the discussions that will shape the future of energy.

Geopolitics, climate and technology - Implications for energy, resources, and connected infrastructure

India’s energy journey is defined by ambition and pragmatism. As the country navigates the energy transition, how can it balance the twin imperatives of energy security and affordability amid growing geopolitical uncertainty?

AI is both a driver of rising energy demand and a potential solution to the energy challenge. Bridging the electricity gap while advancing semiconductor innovation will be critical to powering the next generation of AI and building a more efficient, sustainable energy ecosystem.

The cheapest energy is not necessarily the most economical. In today's geopolitical environment, we must look beyond the unit cost to the risk-adjusted cost of supply. Reliability and deliverability are becoming as important as price.

Energy and food are two sides of the same coin. Disruptions in fertiliser and energy supply today could translate into lower agricultural yields and higher food costs tomorrow. We need to start thinking beyond the farm gate.

Farmers don't just grow food. They produce biomass, an underutilised source of energy with significant economic potential. By integrating biomass into energy systems, we can strengthen distributed energy networks, enhance energy security and create new, sustainable revenue streams for agricultural communities.