A CLEAN, GREEN FUTURE

DONALD TRUMP MAY BE CHAMPIONING FOSSIL FUELS AGAIN, BUT THE INDIA TODAY ENERGY SUMMIT REITERATED THE COUNTRY'S COMMITMENT TO RENEWABLES, DESPITE THE CHALLENGES

- BY ANILESH S. MAHAJAN

It’s increasingly clear that India’s energy narrative this year is being shaped less by technology or climate ambitions and more by geopolitics. The India Today Energy Summit 2025, held recently in Delhi, captured this reality, as policymakers and industry leaders debated how we should navigate scenarios post US President Donald Trump's forceful support for the fossil fuel industry, continue to press ahead with our own clean-energy transition, and address the critical infrastructure needs of distribution and storage.

India’s challenge is substantial. The summit highlighted the country's impressive progress in clean energy: by the end of 2025, more than 50 per cent of its 510 GW power mix is expected to come from non-fossil installed capacity. Yet the global transition is being undermined by Trump 2.0, which is rolling back $20 billion in unspent clean-energy grants and phasing out tax credits for solar and wind energy, battery storage and electric vehicles. India’s crude oil imports from the US surged 114 per cent from Q1 FY25 to Q1 FY26 while Russian oil supplies remained steady (India justified these purchases as compliant with price-cap mechanisms and essential for energy security). But now, with Trump's sanctions on oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, and Russian oil simultaneously losing price competitiveness, Indian refiners are looking for alternatives.

One area where India and the US appear aligned is on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which Trump has promoted as a clean solution for base-load power. Nuclear energy remains central to India's own base-load strategy: 22 reactors currently generate 8.78 GW, with a target of 10 GW by 2030. However, experts at the summit cautioned that although SMRs offer flexibility and attract private participation, large reactors still provide the most affordable and reliable power, with tariffs as low as Rs 4.83 per kWh.