Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday outlined a series of strategic energy, shipping and clean fuel agreements signed on the opening day of India Energy Week 2026, underscoring India’s expanding global energy partnerships and push towards diversification and indigenisation.
Addressing a press conference, Puri said the agreements reflected “very different and very welcome levels of cooperation”, particularly highlighting multiple recent engagements with Canadian ministers, alongside partnerships with Japan, South Korea and Brazil.
Shipbuilding contracts
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has entered into two shipbuilding contracts involving Mitsui O.S.K. Lines of Japan as the ship owner and Samsung Heavy Industries of South Korea as the ship builder. The contracts provide for the delivery of two vessels, expected in 2028 and 2029 respectively, strengthening India’s offshore and maritime energy capabilities.
Crude supply term contract
In a major crude supply move, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) renewed its term contract with Brazil’s Petrobras for the supply of crude oil for FY2026–27. The agreement covers 12 million barrels of Brazilian crude, valued at around $780 million. Puri said the contract would help diversify India’s crude import basket and reinforce the country’s energy security.
Setting up 13 CBG plants
The minister also said Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) signed memoranda of understanding with ONGC, Petronet LNG and Oil India for the construction of 13 compressed biogas (CBG) plants, marking a significant step in scaling up India’s bio-energy infrastructure.
In the shipping segment, GAIL (India) Ltd, Japan’s K Line and JM Bakshi Marine Services entered into a term sheet for equity participation in a shipping company. Clarifying the significance of the move, Puri noted that a term sheet goes beyond an initial expression of interest and indicates that key commercial terms have already been agreed, with only formal contract signing remaining.
Indigenous steel gas heating technology
Engineers India Ltd, meanwhile, unveiled an indigenous steel gas heating technology developed in collaboration with Ansel Steel reflecting progress in domestic process and engineering innovations for the energy sector.
Several technology and product launches were also showcased during the day. These included the launch of a new lightweight composite LPG cylinder under the New India initiative, unveiled by the Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant.
Hydrogen-powered drone showcased
An indigenously developed hydrogen-powered drone was also launched, with a current flight endurance of about one-and-a-half hours. Puri said the technology is still under development and efforts are underway to significantly enhance endurance for longer-duration applications.
Summing up the day’s developments, the minister said a range of initiatives across hydrocarbons, gas, biofuels, shipping and clean technologies had been set in motion, and indicated that further technical briefings and demonstrations would be organised for the media in the coming days.
