A high-level leadership panel at India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 on Tuesday highlighted the growing importance of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in strengthening energy security, supporting economic growth and enabling a pragmatic global energy transition amid geopolitical uncertainties. The discussion, held on the inaugural day of the event, brought together senior global energy leaders to assess natural gas as a bridging resource and a long-term destination fuel.
The panel, titled “Repositioning Natural Gas and Energy Transformation: Pragmatic Bridging Resource to Pivotal Destination Fuel,” featured IndianOil Chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney, GAIL Chairman and Managing Director Sandeep Kumar Gupta, ADNOC Gas CEO Fatema Al Nuaimi, and Excelerate Energy President and CEO Steven Kobos. Panelists noted that global gas demand is projected to rise by 30–35 per cent by 2050 and identified coal-to-gas switching as the most effective near-term pathway to reduce emissions while maintaining grid stability.
From an Indian perspective, speakers underlined the rapid expansion of the country’s gas ecosystem, driven by rising domestic production, diversified LNG imports and sustained investments in pipelines, terminals and city gas distribution networks. Natural gas was seen as critical across key sectors such as fertilisers, transport fuels and urban energy access. The panel echoed the view that the energy transition should focus on energy addition rather than abrupt replacement, with gas-fired power—supported by efficiency gains, methane mitigation and emerging carbon management technologies—playing a complementary role alongside renewables.
Affordability emerged as a key challenge to wider adoption, with panelists stressing the need for natural gas and LNG to become more cost-competitive to effectively displace coal and remain viable alongside renewable and alternative energy sources.
The discussion also emphasised the importance of policy stability, supportive regulatory frameworks, access to long-term finance, reduced infrastructure costs and the development of a transparent and liquid global gas market. Expanding LNG import capacity, regasification facilities including FSRUs, pipeline networks and last-mile connectivity was identified as essential to ensure reliable and affordable energy access.
