New Delhi — India and the United States can strengthen strategic energy ties across the hydrocarbon value chain to help expand bilateral trade toward a shared goal of $500 billion by 2030, according to a new report.
The report, released by the U.S.-India Business Council and Grant Thornton Bharat, said hydrocarbons such as liquefied natural gas, crude oil, LPG, ethane and propane are expected to play a major role in expanding trade between the two countries.
It said deeper cooperation in hydrocarbons could also open new investment opportunities, strengthen energy security and improve supply chain resilience for both India and the United States.
The India-U.S. energy relationship is increasingly moving beyond a traditional buyer-seller arrangement and becoming a broader strategic partnership involving trade, investment, technology, infrastructure and energy security, the report said.
“The evolution of the India-US energy relationship reflects the broader trajectory of our bilateral partnership-moving from transactional engagement to deeper strategic integration,” said Rahul Sharma, managing director of USIBC India.
“As trusted partners, India and the United States are uniquely positioned to collaborate across energy, technology and investment to strengthen energy security, support economic growth, and create new pathways for expanding bilateral trade in the years ahead,” he added.
The report identified three priority areas for action: expanding the scale and value of hydrocarbon trade, creating a more attractive and predictable investment environment, and diversifying supply chains to support long-term energy security.
Amit Kumar, partner and energy and renewables industry leader at Grant Thornton Bharat, said the India-U.S. energy partnership is entering a new phase that extends beyond commodity trade to deeper cooperation in investment, technology, infrastructure and supply chains.
The report pointed to significant U.S. investment opportunities in India’s upstream exploration and production, LNG infrastructure, city gas distribution, gas-based power and downstream petrochemical development.
It also said Indian companies could strengthen their presence in the U.S. energy sector through investments in LNG export facilities, upstream oil and gas assets, shale resources and petrochemical feedstock chains.
The report recommended creating an India-U.S. AI-Powered Energy Task Force to speed up the adoption of advanced technologies across the hydrocarbon sector.
Priority areas for the proposed task force would include AI-driven energy forecasting, seismic interpretation, exploration optimization, predictive maintenance and digital twin technologies for real-time asset monitoring and operational efficiency. (Source: IANS)
