India—demand dynamo

India's economic success will make it a decisive player in global energy for decades

About half way along the drive from Indira Gandhi International Airport, in New Delhi, to Connaught Place, in the city's centre, the smog and noise is already grating. Then comes the traffic jam near Sardar Patel Marg, where the thoroughfare crossing stretches for miles in either direction. Policemen do their best to usher vehicles along, but with limited success. These problems will worsen—not just in India's capital, but across the country. The middle class is growing, people are getting richer and more are buying cars. Opec forecasts that the number of vehicles on India's roads will grow sevenfold, to 141m, by 2030. The government thinks it has a three-pronged strategy to deal with the ev