Dharmendra Pradhan meets Energy Minister of Qatar, calls for expanding bilateral relationship in Hydrocarbons sector
27 January, 2020 | newsx bureau
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs to strengthen relations and expand Petroleum and Natural Gas, Steel, Power, Chemicals and Fertilizers business.
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday held a meeting with HE Er. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs in New Delhi along with senior officials from various Government ministries including Petroleum and Natural Gas, Steel, Power, Chemicals and Fertilizers and experts and industry leaders from energy, gas and steel sector.
Minister Pradhan said, “Qatar is our valued partner. Qatar has been a long-standing energy partner for India, with hydrocarbons accounting over 75% of all our bilateral trade. We see an enormous potential to further expand India-Qatar energy ties and also expect to increase our bilateral engagements beyond the buyer-seller relationship.”
Speaking about LNG trade, he said, “Qatar is our largest source of LNG. India’s appetite for energy, particularly gas is increasing considerably. The surge in India’s energy requirements will not be incremental but exponential. India is rapidly expanding our gas infrastructure to cater to the needs of nearly 70% of our population. An estimated investment of $60 billion is lined up in building the gas infrastructure.”