The Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue was co-chaired by Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal and the United Kingdom’s Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, on Monday.
The dialogue aimed at re-examining the development in the power and renewable energy sectors of both nations and reiterated their commitment to a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive energy future.
During the discussions, the ministers highlighted the significance of energy security and sustainable development. They stressed widening cooperation in fields such as power distribution, sector reforms, industrial energy efficiency, and decarbonisation. Further, they ventured into materialising opportunities in areas like energy storage, green data centres, and offshore wind, with a specific emphasis on supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
One of the significant moments of the meeting was the launch of Phase 2 of the India-UK Accelerating Smart Power & Renewable Energy in India project. This phase will provide technical support for assuring uninterrupted power supply, broadening renewable energy initiatives, and advancing industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation, in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Power (MoP) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
The ministers also acknowledge the positive outcomes of bilateral collaboration in driving economic progress and employment development through technical assistance, cooperation, and investment. Discussions also covered the progress of trade missions aimed at offshore wind and green hydrogen, as well as cooperation between the UK’s Energy Systems Catapult and India’s Power Trading Corporation.
Acknowledging the joint ambition to advance offshore wind development, the ministers announced the establishment of a UK-India Offshore Wind Taskforce. This initiative aims to empower offshore wind ecosystem development, supply chains, and financing models in both countries. The UK’s minister praised India’s ambitious renewable energy initiatives and expressed interest in learning from India’s experience with the Solar Rooftop Programme (PM—Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana).
The dialogue also emphasised the significance of power market regulations in ensuring energy security and enabling a smooth energy transition. Backing this, the ministers declared the continuation of the Power Sector Reforms program under the UK Partnering for Accelerating Climate Change (UKPACT). In addition to this, a new task force was recommended between the UK’s Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to enable renewable energy integration and grid transformation in India.
Both leaders reiterated the importance of the India-UK Energy Dialogue in strengthening energy transition efforts, ensuring energy access, and building clean energy supply chains that align with economic growth aspirations. The ministers expressed their commitment to deepening ties through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and looked forward to the fifth India-UK Energy Dialogue in 2026.
The event concluded with the launch of two key reports, ‘Best Practices Compendium of Industrial Energy Efficiency/Decarbonisation’ and ‘Pathways for Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation in the Indian Aluminium Sector,’ marking another milestone in the India-UK collaboration for a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.
