Courtesy: Mint
As part of India’s Nuclear Energy Mission, India will make the necessary regulatory and legislative amendments to enhance its nuclear power production, including through Small Modular Reactors or SMRs. No longer a fad, SMRs can bring public and private sector innovation and capital together to give India the energy it needs, and the potential for export. India could have SMRs ready for use by 2033.
Courtesy: Reuters
Sri Lanka is playing a balancing act as it manages its ties with India and China. It is heavily dependent on the two rival Asian giants for its economic revitalisation and future growth, but it must be strategic in its approach with both countries as it attempts to manage its foreign debt and ensure project sustainability while maintaining geopolitical neutrality.
Courtesy: President of Russia-Events website
Europe has reduced its reliance on Russian gas following the war in Ukraine, and its chief supplier Russia is mired in western sanctions. What does it mean for Russia? It has certainly changed the fortunes for American gas to be sold to Europe: as of 2023, the US had become the world’s top exporter of gas.
Courtesy: Business Standard
The advent of the pro-oil Donald Trump in the U.S. and the strong pushback by developing countries to the unsatisfactory COP29 proposals, has opened opportunities for India in the energy sector. Instead of investing in overseas oil facilities, India will be better served as a financial investor in listed companies in large economies. This approach will help forge closer ties with strategic partners.
Courtesy:
The 22nd India-Russia summit, held in Moscow on July 9 during Prime Minister Modi’s official visit, focused on expanding bilateral economic, energy, cultural and defense cooperation. It indicates the two nations’ commitment to adding substance and new momentum to their relationship. The long-delayed summit, which coincided with the NATO summit in Washington, should be viewed through the wider lens of a multipolar world.
Courtesy: Sputnik India
Tensions in West Asia have disrupted global shipping and revived interest in the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. Better freight and passenger connectivity between Southern India and Russia’s Far East will open new areas for bilateral cooperation such as the export of machinery, auto parts and engineering goods from India, and progressively integrate the economies of the two countries.
Courtesy: Bloomberg
Two climate and environment conferences in December 2023, one with global attention in Dubai and the other with a hyper-local focus in the Eastern Himalayas, highlighted the need for a more nuanced conversation on climate and forced population displacement. They both point to a need for a multi-factored model in the analytical approach to forced migration.
Courtesy: Reuters
India and France are both large energy importers with a shared interest in stable prices and decarbonisation. They have much to offer each other. France is a leader in nuclear power and green hydrogen, and can help India with the technology it needs. India, with its large and growing market, can help bring down the cost of these technologies and mainstream them.
Courtesy: Institute for Security & Development Policy
Japan and the EU have a stable and long engagement with India. As India grows in economic and geopolitical significance, both partners must change the lens they view India with. Japan has done better, especially with investment, and because of a common interest and activity in the Indo-Pacific. The EU is driven by Brussels still and needs must overcome that limitation to better leverage India.
Courtesy: CNBC
A well-supplied oil market, along with new investments in oil exploration and production means that pending a major disaster, India will not have to worry about oil prices in the coming year.