New Delhi: With India’s ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and its growing emphasis on sustainability, The Economic Times Energy Leadership Summit and Awards 2025 brought together policymakers, industry leaders, financiers, and innovators for two days of discussions, debates, and recognitions.
Held on September 24-25 at Le Meridien, New Delhi, the event was supported by SAEL, INA Solar, ONGC, IndiGrid, Pipeline Infrastructure Ltd (PIL), ExxonMobil, Suzlon, MSEDCL (MahaVitaran), Adani Solar, GAIL (India), Bharat Petroleum, Engie, NABARD, Aurora Energy Research, MAHAGENCO, Mahanagar Gas, Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Petronet LNG, Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Numaligarh Refinery (NRL), and Gautam Solar.
Leadership voices set the tone
The Summit opened with a chief guest address by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, highlighting the government’s priorities in accelerating clean energy while ensuring affordability and access. He was followed by a keynote by Srikant Nagulapalli, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power.
The inaugural leaders’ panel on “The Great Energy Pivot: India’s Place in a Shifting World” featured Ashish Khanna, Director-General, International Solar Alliance; Sanjay Khanna, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Petroleum; Michael Mustian, India Country Chair, ExxonMobil; Girish Tanti, Co-founder & Vice Chairman, Suzlon Group; and Puneet Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary – Power, Government of Kerala. Moderated by Saurabh Kumar, the session explored India’s positioning in global energy transitions.
In a fireside chat, Laxit Awla, CEO, SAEL Industries, spoke on ‘Transforming Agri Waste to Energy Value Chain’ with Devina Lason, Editor, Video Initiatives & Senior Anchor, The Economic Times. Abha Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy), Government of Maharashtra, delivered a keynote on state-level strategies.
Renewables, oil & gas, and technology in focus
The panel ‘Achieving 500 GW: Scaling India’s Renewable Frontiers’ included NTPC Green Energy CEO Sarit Maheshwari, SECI GM Sreed Singh, IFC’s Shalabh Tandon, Engie’s Amit Jain, Adani New Industries’ Rahul Bhutiani, and Insolation Energy’s Manish Gupta, moderated by EYParthenon India’s Kapil Bansal.Discussions on ‘Transforming Legacy: The Role of Oil & Gas in a Changing Energy Landscape’ brought in ONGC Director Production Pankaj Kumar, IOC R&D Director Alok Sharma, Mahanagar Gas MD Ashu Shinghal, and Pipeline Infrastructure CCO Manoj K Pandey, with Nikhil Moghe of KPMG moderating.
Sunita Narain, Director-General, Centre for Science and Environment, spoke in a spotlight keynote on ‘Energy Futures for Development, Clean Air, and Climate Change’. Girish Tanti of Suzlon discussed the role of wind in energy transition in a conversation with Saurabh Kumar.
The role of artificial intelligence was explored in the session ‘Fusion of Future: AI x Energy,’ with LKS Rathore (Ministry of Power), Pankaj Sharma (PPAC), RN Gupta (Power Grid Corporation), and Prashant Atreya (NHPC), moderated by Saurabh Kumar.
Day two highlights
Day two began with a keynote address by Petronet LNG MD & CEO Akshay Kumar Singh outlining ‘India’s Multi-Energy Transition: The Path to a Gas-Based Economy’.
A nuclear energy discussion featured L&T’s Anil Parab, while IndiGrid COO Sanil C Namboodiripad spoke on ‘Powering India’s Green Future: Innovation, Investment & Infrastructure’. Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, addressed ‘Energy and Technology beyond Borders – India’s path to 2047’.
The ‘Powering India 2047: Clean Energy for a Viksit Bharat’ panel brought together CEA Chief Engineer Bhagwan Sahay Bairwa, EESL CEO Akhilesh Kumar Dixit, PFC Director (Projects) Rajiv Ranjan Jha, CERC Chief Regulatory Affairs S K Chatterjee, and SAEL COO Khalid Nadeem.
Debabrata Ghosh of Aurora Energy Research spoke on the India battery opportunity, while CEA Chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad gave a keynote on building future-ready power systems.
State energy leaders, including Narendra Bhooshan (Uttar Pradesh) and Padma Jaiswal (Puducherry), shared regional innovations. The mineral security panel featured Geological Survey of India DG Asit Saha, Indian Rare Earths Director Marketing Rajnish A Khale, Indian Bureau of Mines Controller of Mines Manish K Maindiratta, and SAIL Executive Director Rajiv Ranjan.
Awards celebrate leadership across energy sectors
The event concluded with the ET Energy Leadership Awards 2025, recognising companies, professionals, and institutions across categories:
1. Energy Company (Power – Small Cap): Intellismart Infrastructure
2. Energy Company (Power – Large Cap): Tata Power DDL and MSEDCL
3. Energy Company (Renewable – Small Cap): Axis Energy Ventures
4. Energy Company (Renewable – Large Cap): Adani Green Energy; Jury recognitions: SAEL and Avaada Energy
5. Energy Company (Oil & Gas – Large Cap): GAIL (India); 1st Runner Up: Petronet LNG
6. Equipment Manufacturer Award: INOX India; Runner Up: Bharat Heavy Electricals
7. City Gas Distribution Award: Maharashtra Natural Gas
8. Energy Transition Award: Adani Green Energy and GAIL India; Jury recognitions: Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals and Schneider Electric India
9. Excellence in Digitisation Award: Tata Power-DDL; Jury recognitions: Tata Power Mundra Thermal, Noida Power Company, and ONGC’s Institute of Drilling Technology
10. Employee Safety Award: Maharashtra Natural Gas, Pune; Runner Up: BHEL
11. Social Changemaker Award: Avaada Foundation; Runner Up: Schneider Electric
12. Energy Conservation Award – Industries: Jindal Stainless Hissar; Jury recognition: GAIL Chainsa Region
13. Clean Mobility Award: Tata Power EV Charging Solutions and Exicom Tele-Systems
14. EPC Company Award: Ecoren Energy India
15. Young Energy Professional Award: Varun Puri (MD, Green Power International) and Shreya Mishra (Co-founder & CEO, Solarsquare)
16. Women in Energy Award: Sindoor Mittal (Vice Chairperson, Avaada) and Abha Shukla IAS (Additional Chief Secretary, Energy, Government of Maharashtra; MD, MSEBHCL)
17. Chief Executive Award: Deepak Sharma (Schneider Electric) and Promeet Ghosh (Crompton Greaves)
18. Innovative Business Model Award: Yantra Harvest
Anil Razdan, former Secretary, Ministry of Power, delivered the Jury Chair address, followed by ministerial remarks from Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State, Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Alvarez & Marsal MD Santosh Kamath spoke as Knowledge Partner, and SOLEX Energy CMD Chetan Shah gave the partner address
Closing note
The two-day Summit reflected India’s evolving energy landscape — from scaling renewables and digitalisation to leveraging AI and ensuring resource security. By recognising industry leadership and fostering dialogue, the event showcased strategies shaping India’s sustainable energy future.
