From Gas Pipelines to Multi-Energy Hubs: Inside India’s Real Energy Shift

India’s energy transition is no longer theoretical — it is being built quietly, at scale, in pipelines underground and at petrol pumps across the country.

This Weekend Playlist of The Core Report explores two forces shaping that future. One traces how natural gas is becoming India’s strategic transition fuel, driven by expanding pipelines, global LNG dynamics, and the use of AI to run complex infrastructure. The other goes inside Indian Oil’s reinvention of the petrol pump — from fuel outlet to multi-energy hub — even as demand for conventional fuels continues to grow.

This is what India’s energy transition looks like on the ground — complex, pragmatic, and already underway.

WEEKEND EDITION (Energy Special)

India’s Energy Shift Has a Backbone — And It’s Buried Underground

Natural gas is quietly becoming the backbone of India’s energy transition — and the implications are bigger than they appear.

In this Core Report | India Energy Week 2026 Special, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, GAIL (India), on why gas — not coal, not renewables alone — is increasingly central to India’s growth story.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

• Natural gas as a transition anchor:
  As India balances growth, affordability, and decarbonisation, gas is emerging as the most practical bridge fuel — cleaner than coal, scalable across sectors, and critical to energy security.

• Pipelines powering the economy:
  The rapid expansion of India’s gas pipeline network is transforming how energy reaches homes, factories, and cities — enabling PNG and CNG adoption, supporting manufacturing, fertilisers, power generation, and petrochemicals.

• City gas goes mainstream:
  Domestic PNG and CNG are no longer niche. They are becoming essential urban infrastructure, reshaping fuel choices for households and transport across India.

• AI enters the energy bloodstream:
  GAIL is deploying artificial intelligence across pipeline operations, infrastructure monitoring, and industrial systems — improving efficiency, reliability, safety, and long-term asset returns in a capital-intensive sector.

• LNG and geopolitics:
  The episode unpacks the realities of global LNG markets, supply volatility, and how shifting geopolitics are forcing India to rethink sourcing strategies and energy diplomacy.

• Net zero, without shortcuts:
  Even as renewables scale up, natural gas remains indispensable to India’s clean energy transition — providing stability, flexibility, and a realistic pathway toward lower emissions.

The larger story:
India’s energy future won’t be built on a single solution. It will depend on large-scale infrastructure, disciplined investment, smart technology, and fuels that work today — not just tomorrow.

This conversation offers a clear-eyed view of how gas pipelines, AI, and strategic planning are shaping one of the most important transformations in India’s economic and energy landscape.

INDIA ENERGY WEEK 2026

India Energy Week returns for its 4th edition from 27–30 January 2026 in Goa, held under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and co-organised by FIPI and DMG Events.

As India advances its role in the global energy transition, the event will bring together policymakers, industry leaders and innovators to shape practical pathways toward a secure, sustainable and affordable energy future.

IEW 2026 will spotlight India’s leadership in balancing energy access with decarbonisation, while showcasing strategic investments, emerging technologies and global partnerships driving the next era of energy progress.

SPECIAL EDITION (Energy Special)

Inside Indian Oil’s Big Bet on Energy Hubs, EVs, and the Future of Fuel

India’s largest oil company is quietly redesigning how the country will access energy in the years ahead—and it starts at the petrol pump.

In this special edition of The Core Report, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Arvinder Singh Sahney, Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation, on why fuel stations are being transformed into multi-energy hubs, even as demand for petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, gas, and petrochemicals continues to rise.

From EV charging and battery swapping to CNG, renewables, and future fuels, Indian Oil’s strategy offers a rare, inside look at how legacy energy companies are navigating the energy transition—without losing sight of scale, reliability, or economics.

Key takeaways from the episode:

• Why petrol pumps are becoming integrated energy platforms

• How Indian Oil crossed 100 million tonnes in volumes while expanding to 40,000+ outlets

• The real economics of EV charging—and why owning more of the value chain matters

• What “refineries of the future” mean for petrochemicals, exports, and growth

• How green hydrogen, SAF, ethanol blending, CBG, and indigenous R&D fit into the roadmap

The bottom line:
India’s energy transition will not be linear—and Indian Oil is betting that the future belongs to companies that can manage fossil fuels, clean energy, and scale at the same time.

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