The Hindu : Business : India calls for joint efforts to promote energy security

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 18, 2006

Business

Business

India calls for joint efforts to promote energy security

Vladimir Radyuhin

G8 ministers for equitable access of all countries to energy resources

MOSCOW: India has called on the Group of Eight (G8) to join hands with developing nations to promote global energy security.

Addressing a meeting of G8 energy ministers, India's Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dinsha Patel called on the G8 countries jointly with major developing nations to "initiate an institutional process of ensuring global energy security'' and "realise the vision of secured, sustainable, equitable, efficient and productive global energy security.'' Russia, which is holding rotating presidency in G8, invited India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico to attend the G8 meeting in Moscow on March 16.

"We need to collectively take up this challenge (of soaring energy demand) and initiate programmes and policies that can assure secure and sustainable growth globally,'' Mr. Patel said.

Russia's Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said views expressed by the five invited countries were reflected in the statement approved by the G8 energy ministers. The ministers called for an equitable access of all countries to energy resources, diversification of supplies and the right of countries to tap nuclear energy.

During his three-day visit to Moscow, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas had bilateral meetings with Minister Khristenko, President Putin's energy adviser Igor Yusupov and senior executives of Russia's top energy companies — Gazprom, Rosneft and Itera. Indian officials familiar with previous Indo-Russian interactions in the energy sphere said the Russian side was far more forthcoming and to the point in discussing India's greater presence in the Russian energy market than before. Mr. Patel said he had been assured of Moscow's willingness to involve India in new energy projects in Russia. "I have received very a good response from Russian officials and companies regarding broader cooperation between our two countries in the oil and gas sector,'' he told media people at the end of his visit on Friday.

Mr. Patel also had a meeting with Vice-Chairman of the Chinese State Committee for Development and Reforms Zhang Guabao to discuss closer cooperation between India and China in the energy field. "We shared the view that energy rivalry would be counter-productive for both our countries and agreed to cooperate in providing farmers in both our countries with cheaper energy by promoting new alternative energy technologies, such as wind, biogas and solar energy,'' Mr. Patel said.

The Chinese minister proposed holding regular meetings to resolve outstanding issues and problems, Mr. Patel said.

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