Energy & Petroleum News Today

Union Minister Harsh Malhotra flagged off the Youth Safety & Smart Mobility Expedition 2026, featuring 50-60 electric vehicles traveling the 500-km New Delhi-Chandigarh corridor to promote road safety and alternative fuel adoption.

Nearly 200 Madhya Pradesh urban bodies are pooling power demand for a Rs 1,300 crore, 200 MW floating solar and 50 MW/100 MWh battery storage project to cut municipal electricity costs.

The state government ordered expeditious solarisation of agricultural feeders and tube wells, long-term Kosi flood risk reduction strategies including silt removal, and swift execution of major road and thermal power projects.

India added 113,013 MVA grid capacity in FY26, meeting 90% of the CEA target. However, strict qualification norms and manufacturing bottlenecks pose operational challenges for meeting massive future renewable and data centre demands.

India’s base oil market is turning firm as crude and feedstock costs rise amid Middle East shipping and production disruptions. Group I and Group II spot availability has tightened, while Group III remains structurally short, pushing import replacement costs higher and encouraging buyers to replenish before further supply constraints emerge.

Power supply is being swiftly restored across rain-hit north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Out of 8,87,757 affected services, 8,30,679 have been restored following heavy rains and gusty winds.

Union Oil Minister Hardeep Puri warns that the West Asia crisis could escalate, while assuring abundant global crude availability of 102 mb/d, comfortably exceeding India's demand of 94-95 mb/d.

ONGC will drill more wells following its Mahanadi basin gas discovery under the Samudra Manthan initiative. India will maintain 20 percent ethanol blending and focus on reducing green hydrogen costs.

The Jammu and Kashmir government clarified that no proposal exists to transfer NHPC hydropower projects back. The UT generated Rs 3,582.06 crore in water charges and Rs 1,955.26 crore in free power over five years.

India is diversifying its LPG imports, targeting Argentina to bridge supply gaps. Argentina shipped 50,000t in Q1 2026, boosting bilateral energy trade amid rising domestic production and new NGL projects.