BRICS Energy Ministers’ Meet: Manohar Lal underlines India’s commitment to building resilient energy systems guided by ‘Energy for All’ principle

Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal on Thursday underlined India’s commitment to building resilient, future-ready and people-centric energy systems guided by the principle of ‘Energy for All’.

Addressing the 11th BRICS Energy Ministers’ Meeting in Gurugram, Manohar Lal said energy remains fundamental to economic growth, social progress and human development. He emphasised that developing countries require adequate time, resources and policy space to pursue sustainable development while meeting their people’s legitimate aspirations.

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The Minister showcased India’s energy transformation over the last decade, noting that the country has emerged as the world’s third-largest producer and consumer of electricity. Installed power capacity has reached nearly 540 GW, with non-fossil sources accounting for more than half of the installed capacity.

He highlighted India’s rapid clean energy expansion, with solar capacity increasing from about 3 GW in 2014 to more than 154 GW today. He underscored the role of flagship initiatives such as PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana in accelerating rooftop solar adoption and promoting citizen participation in the energy transition.

The Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs highlighted India’s ambitions to achieve over 400 GWh of energy storage capacity by 2032 and 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047. This is alongside its achievement of 20 per cent ethanol blending ahead of schedule and leadership in initiatives such as the Global Biofuels Alliance and the International Solar Alliance.

The 11th BRICS Energy Ministers’ Meeting was convened on Thursday in Gurugram, Haryana, under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026 under the overarching theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

The meeting brought together Energy Ministers, Vice Ministers, and senior officials from BRICS member countries to deliberate on key global energy challenges and opportunities and to advance practical cooperation across the energy sector.

Representatives from leading international organisations, including the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) the New Development Bank (NDB), also participated in the deliberations.

BRICS Energy Ministers reaffirmed the importance of respecting national circumstances, development priorities and energy pathways.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of the 11th BRICS Energy Ministers’ Joint Communiqué, reflecting the collective vision and consensus of BRICS countries on strengthening cooperation in the areas of energy security, sustainability, innovation, resilient infrastructure and capacity building.

A major outcome of India’s Chairship was the launch of the BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage (https://brics-dcoe.global/) under the BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform (ERCP).

The Centre will serve as a voluntary collaborative platform for knowledge sharing, capacity building, exchange of policy and regulatory best practices, and development of pilot initiatives among BRICS countries.