The Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue took place in New Delhi, co-chaired by Shri Manohar Lal, Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs of India, and Mr. Ed Miliband, Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero for the United Kingdom. The dialogue focused on reviewing progress in the power and renewable energy sectors of both nations while reaffirming their commitment to a sustainable and resilient energy future. Both sides emphasized the need to balance energy transition and economic growth, ensuring clean and affordable energy access for all.
Discussions highlighted the importance of energy security and sustainable development. The two countries explored ways to expand cooperation in power distribution, sector reforms, industrial energy efficiency, and de-carbonization. There was also an emphasis on areas like electric mobility, energy storage, green data centers, and offshore wind, with a specific focus on supporting MSMEs. The Ministers announced the launch of Phase 2 of the India-UK bilateral Accelerating Smart Power & Renewable Energy in India (ASPIRE) program. This initiative aims to provide technical support for ensuring a round-the-clock power supply, expanding renewable energy efforts, and enhancing industrial energy efficiency and de-carbonization. The program will work closely with the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with their bilateral collaboration in promoting growth and job creation through technical cooperation and investment. The dialogue included discussions on trade missions focused on offshore wind and green hydrogen. The Ministers also reviewed the partnership between the UK’s Energy Systems Catapult and India’s Power Trading Corporation. As part of their shared ambition to develop offshore wind energy, both governments announced the establishment of a UK-India Offshore Wind Taskforce. This task force will work on advancing offshore wind ecosystem development, supply chain improvements, and financing models in both countries. Mr. Miliband praised India’s ambitious renewable energy efforts and showed particular interest in learning from India’s experience in implementing the Solar Rooftop Programme, also known as the PM – Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojna.
Recognizing the role of power market regulations in driving the energy transition, both governments announced the continuation of the Power Sector Reforms program under the UK Partnering for Accelerating Climate Change initiative. A new task force is also being proposed between the UK’s Office of Gas and Electricity Markets and India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. This task force aims to support renewable energy integration and grid transformation in India. Both sides acknowledged the significance of regulatory measures in strengthening energy security, ensuring access, and promoting a sustainable, clean energy supply chain.
The dialogue reinforced the value of the India-UK Energy Dialogue in supporting mutual energy transition goals. The Ministers expressed their commitment to deepening cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and looked forward to the next round of discussions at the Fifth UK-India Energy Dialogue in 2026. The event concluded with the launch of two key reports: the ‘Best Practices Compendium of Industrial Energy Efficiency/Decarbonisation’ and ‘Pathways for Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation in the Indian Aluminium Sector.’ These initiatives mark another step forward in strengthening the energy collaboration between India and the United Kingdom.
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