With India importing approximately 85% to 88% of its domestic crude oil requirements and over half of its natural gas, energy security remains a core driver of Indian foreign policy, anchoring strategic partnerships across West Asia and the wider Global South.

Energy Security as the Kingpin of India’s Foreign Policy

• Diversifying Strategic Supplies: Energy diplomacy balances relations across suppliers in the Gulf, Russia, North America, and Africa to ensure affordable, uninterrupted flows.
• Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR): Collaborating with international producers to store crude reserves domestically strengthens resilience against geopolitical supply shocks.
• Overseas Asset Acquisition: Investing in overseas exploration through ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) in Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America helps secure equity oil assets.
• Multilateral Energy Cooperation: Engagement through institutions like the International Energy Agency (IEA) and founding the International Solar Alliance (ISA) connects energy security with global climate diplomacy.

Link to India’s Influence in Middle Eastern Countries

• Anchor of Economic Interdependence: Sourcing roughly 60% of crude oil imports from the Gulf makes India a primary market for energy producers like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE.
• Cross-Investments in Energy Infrastructure: Deepening investments—such as Indian participation in UAE concessions and planned investments by Saudi Aramco and ADNOC in Indian refineries—reinforces economic integration.
• Diaspora and Strategic Cooperation: Energy trade complements the welfare and economic contributions of India’s 9-million-strong diaspora in the GCC, supporting diplomatic goodwill and strategic agreements.
• Diplomatic Balancing in West Asia: Energy interdependence supports India’s multi-aligned diplomacy, maintaining strong ties across regional partners including Israel, Iran, and the Arab Gulf monarchies.

Integrating Energy Security with Foreign Policy Trajectories

• 1. Supply-Chain Diversification:
  • Expand long-term LNG and crude partnerships with Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America to mitigate exposure to maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb.
• 2. Clean and Renewable Energy Diplomacy:
  • Position India as a leader in green hydrogen exports, solar grid interconnections, and clean technology through initiatives like the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) and the OSOWOG (One Sun One World One Grid) framework.
• 3. Strategic Connectivity Projects:
  • Advance trans-regional economic corridors like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the Chabahar Port / INSTC network to facilitate regional trade and clean energy transit.
• 4. Critical Mineral Diplomacy:
  • Expand partnerships through the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) and state enterprise KABIL to secure access to critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel) across Latin America, Australia, and Africa for domestic clean-tech manufacturing.
• 5. Maritime Security Cooperation:
  • Strengthen Indian naval presence and intelligence sharing along Indian Ocean shipping lanes to safeguard hydrocarbon and container transit routes under the SAGAR vision.

India’s future energy diplomacy must balance reliable hydrocarbon imports with investments in renewable energy, critical minerals, and regional transit corridors, supporting long-term economic growth and strategic autonomy.