Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: IN order to meet its growing energy demand, India has focused on strengthening its systems through policy reforms, infrastructure expansion, and cleaner energy pathways. In June last year, India achieved the milestone of 50 per cent of its cumulative installed electricity capacity from nonfossil fuel sources, five years ahead of its 2030 target under the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement.
Reforms across the hydrocarbons sector, expansion of energy infrastructure, and rapid growth of renewable energy are collectively supporting economic growth, job creation, and India’s evolving role in global energy markets.
The effectiveness of India’s energy transition depends not only on expanding infrastructure and cleaner fuels but also on the strength of its governance and regulatory framework across the energy value chain. Clear policies, predictable regulations, and streamlined approval processes are essential to attract investment, reduce project timelines, and ensure a reliable energy supply.
Against this backdrop, the country has undertaken a series of reforms to modernise energy governance and align it with evolving market conditions and transition requirements.
Hydrocarbon reforms
India’s hydrocarbon sector spans the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments. The upstream segment relates to the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. The midstream segment covers the transportation and storage of fuels, and the downstream segment includes refining and distribution. Reforms across these segments are aimed at improving efficiency, enhancing supply security, and supporting a gradual transition to cleaner energy systems.
The upstream sector reforms include: Oilfield (Regulation and Development) Amendment Act, 2025: It modernises upstream regulatory framework by simplifying procedures, enabling integrated energy development, and strengthening investor confidence. Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules, 2025: These rules provide a modern and transparent regulatory framework for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas.
Reforms in the midstream and downstream segments have focused on improving fuel transportation, pricing transparency, and market access.
Tariff structure
Introduced in 2023, the Unified Pipeline Tariff was launched to address regional disparity in gas transportation costs. The UPT system standardises transportation charges across the national gas grid, replacing the earlier distancebased tariff structure. Alongside governance reforms, efforts have focused on expanding energy infrastructure across the country to improve fuel supply chains, gas connectivity, and mobility systems. This has contributed to enhanced energy access, improved system reliability, and cleaner energy use.
The nationwide fuel retail network has been expanded from around 52,000 outlets in 2014 to over one lakh by 2025, improving last-mile fuel availability across urban and rural areas. The cleaner fuel infrastructure has also witnessed rapid growth, with CNG stations increasing from about 968 to over 8,477 and PNG household connections rising from 25 lakh to over 1.59 crore, supporting cleaner mobility and household energy use.
Under the vision of One Nation, One Gas Grid, the natural gas pipeline network has been expanded to over 25,400 km, with an additional 10,459 km under construction, enabling panIndia transportation of gas.
Petroleum marketing
Petroleum marketing infrastructure was strengthened with over 90,000 retail outlets enabled with digital payment facilities, supported by more than 2.71 lakh POS terminals.
Over 3,200 fuel bowsers were commissioned to expand door-to-door fuel delivery, particularly in remote and underserved areas. Electric mobility infrastructure expanded with 8,932 EV charging stations installed at retail outlets under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) Phase-II, along with over 18,500 additional charging stations set up by oil marketing companies.
Over 500 Apna Ghar truckers’ wayside amenities were established to improve road safety, rest facilities, and welfare for logistics workers. A total of 1,064 integrated energy stations were commissioned as of November 1, 2025, offering conventional fuels alongside alternative energy options along major transport corridors.
With energy access and infrastructure expansion providing the physical foundation for the country’s energy system, the focus has increasingly shifted towards reducing the carbon intensity of energy use while meeting rising demand. Clean energy transition and low-carbon pathways are, therefore, central to balancing energy security, economic growth, and climate objectives.
