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
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
