AI Boom Faces Power Crisis Without Global Renewable Surge
The global AI and data center boom will need acceleration of renewable energy rollout to avoid plunging millions of people into energy poverty as power bills jump, the founder of China’s major wind turbine maker Envision told the Financial Times. “For this AI revolution, lots of people may end up with energy poverty,” Envision’s founder and chief executive officer Lei Zhang told FT. The growing electricity demand from AI infrastructure and data centers is changing the narrative of the need of renewables. Clean energy is no longer just a way to cut global greenhouse gas emissions, “It’s because of long-term prosperity,” according to Zhang. Envision, the company he has founded, boasts more than 80 gigawatts (GW) of wind turbines installed to date, and accounted for 60% of all Chinese overseas turbine sales three years in a row in 2024. Global electricity demand is rising at the fastest pace in 15 years and will continue to do so at least until the end of the decade as AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification have ushered in The Age of Electricity, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its Electricity 2026 report earlier this month. Power demand is expected to grow by more than 3.5% per year on average through the end of the decade, the agency added. Artificial intelligence, data centers, and advanced manufacturing support the return to growth in power demand in advanced economies, including in the United States, according to the IEA. U.S. electricity demand rose by 2.1% in 2025 and is expected to grow by nearly 2% annually through 2030. The rapid expansion of data centers will drive half of the increase, the agency noted. However, The Age of Electricity needs to see a significant scale-up of investment in grids to accommodate the surge in power installations. Currently, more than 2,500 GW worth of projects – renewables, storage, and projects with large loads such as data centers – are stalled in connection queues worldwide, according to the IEA.
Nayara to add 300 fuel outlets in retail push
As India steadily recalibrates its oil sourcing away from Russia under growing geopolitical and trade pressure from the West, private refiner Nayara Energy is aggressively expanding its downstream footprint, preparing to add around 300 new fuel retail outlets across the country this year to strengthen margins and domestic market presence. The move comes at a time when India’s refining sector is navigating a delicate balancing act between cheap Russian oil, shifting global diplomacy, and rising pressure to diversify crude supplies — a transition that is already reshaping procurement strategies across public and private refiners. A senior company official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Nayara is pushing retail growth even as it reassesses crude sourcing. “The refinery is running at optimum utilisation. We are pushing retail growth aggressively and at the same time evaluating alternative crude sources wherever it makes commercial sense,” the official said.
India’s oil import shift signals structural energy security pivot: GlobalData
India’s recalibration of crude oil imports marks a structural shift from opportunistic discount buying to disciplined geopolitical risk management, according to analytics firm GlobalData. With oil accounting for roughly a quarter of India’s primary energy consumption and import dependence at about 87 per cent, the country is prioritising compliance resilience, supply diversification and stronger US energy linkages as part of a more strategic energy security doctrine, the firm said. India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, is projected by the International Energy Agency to see demand rise from 5.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) in 2024 to 8 mbpd by 2035. Import dependence could increase to 92 per cent by 2035 despite ongoing domestic exploration, widening exposure to external supply shocks. rnab Nath, Associate Project Manager of Economic Research at GlobalData, said the growing gap between demand and domestic output is driving efforts to broaden the supplier base and reduce reliance on concentrated or politically constrained supply corridors. India’s crude sourcing has shifted significantly since 2022. Russia’s share of India’s oil imports rose from 2.7 per cent before the Ukraine conflict to 25.9 per cent in 2024 on the back of discounted cargoes. However, imports from Russia fell more than 40 per cent year-on-year in January 2026 amid tightening trade and sanctions dynamics. At the same time, the United States and Venezuela have re-emerged in India’s crude mix. While Venezuelan volumes are expected to remain limited due to heavy grades and production constraints, they are seen as a tactical alternative as India seeks to rebalance geopolitical risks, GlobalData said, adding the shift is also influenced by US tariff threats linked to Iran-related trade. According to Nath, the recalibration could ease near-term friction between New Delhi and Washington and open space for deeper cooperation in liquefied natural gas (LNG), critical minerals and clean-technology supply chains. However, he noted that India will continue to prioritise price competitiveness and supply security, maintaining sourcing flexibility, including from the Middle East and select sanctioned-origin barrels where feasible. For Washington, the move reinforces the effectiveness of tariffs and sanctions as negotiating tools, potentially making energy a recurring element in bilateral trade discussions, the report said. Following the India-US trade agreement announced on February 2, India faces stronger incentives to reduce sanctions exposure and tariff risks while preserving access to competitively priced crude. The US had imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff in August 2025 linked to Russian oil purchases and signalled the possibility of further increases. GlobalData said refiners are now optimising for compliance resilience and supply continuity. While Russian crude may remain part of the mix when commercially viable, India’s overall direction points to a broader supplier base anchored by stronger US energy ties and selective engagement with alternative sources. “India’s crude strategy is evolving from opportunistic discount capture to a more structured approach to managing geopolitical risk,” Nath said, adding that energy trade with the US is likely to remain transactional in oil but increasingly convergent in long-term transition areas such as grid modernisation and nuclear cooperation.
BPCL Boosts India’s Green Gas Goals with Strategic CBG Agreements
In a significant stride towards sustainable energy, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a Fortune Global 500 entity, has signed multiple Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) Tripartite Agreements in key geographical areas in Uttar Pradesh. Announced at the Saksham Meet in Varanasi, these agreements underscore BPCL’s intent to integrate renewable gas into its City Gas Distribution network. BPCL’s Business Head, Mr. Rahul Tandon, highlighted the structured approach towards CBG integration as crucial to supporting India’s decarbonization goals. With facilities expected to become operational by 2026, Lakhimpur and Amethi-Pratapgarh-Raebareli Geographical Areas will see substantial enhancements in green fuel availability, contributing to regional energy security. Reflecting steady progress, BPCL has amassed a total of 44 TPAs, amounting to a contracted CBG capacity of 284 tonnes per day. These developments emphasize BPCL’s commitment to a greener energy future, showcasing strong operational momentum in aligning with national bio-energy initiatives.
India’s crude oil import bill drops 19% in January on softer global prices
Despite a marginal drop of 0.2 per cent in volumes, India’s crude oil import bill declined by 18.8 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to $9.5 billion in January, driven by subdued oil prices, showed oil ministry data. The fall came as the Indian basket crude price averaged $63.08 a barrel during the month, a significant drop of $17.12/bbl from $80.20/bbl recorded last year, according to data from Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC). India purchased 21.1 million tonnes (Mt) of crude oil in January 2026, as against 21.2 Mt imported in the same month last year. Crude oil prices have fallen dramatically over concerns of a potential supply glut, amid weak demand in the international market.
Oil Prices Head for First Weekly Gain Since January on Iran Tensions
Crude oil prices were on course for their first weekly increase after three consecutive weekly losses, following President Trump’s latest threat to Iran that gave the country 10-15 days to make a deal or “really bad things” would happen. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $72.08 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate at $66.89 per barrel, both up after hitting their highest levels in six months on Thursday after Trump’s threat. “With a deal looking increasingly difficult to reach, it also means it will be more challenging to find a route to de-escalation, especially following the US military build-up we have seen in the region,” ING commodity strategists said in a note on Thursday. “And if de-escalation is not possible, the key question will then be what type of action the US takes and how Iran responds to this,” Warren Patterson and Ewa Mathey added. The prospect of an oil supply disruption in Iran remains uncertain. “Market focus has clearly shifted to escalating Middle East tensions after the failure of multiple rounds of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, even as investors debate whether any actual disruption will materialise,” Philip Nova analyst Priyanka Sachdeva said, as quoted by Reuters. Bloomberg, meanwhile, noted that last year, President Trump had also indicated he wanted to go the diplomatic way but quickly reconsidered and ordered strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel together. In further fuel for oil prices, the latest talks between Russia and Ukraine ended with no visible progress towards peace, making the prospect of sanction removal for Russia’s oil industry more distant. Meanwhile, physical oil markets are suggesting that the oversupply assumptions may have been exaggerated. “The shape of the ICE Brent forward curve continues to suggest that the market is tighter than what many analysts have been expecting, including us,” ING’s Patterson and Manthey said in their note, adding that said market was in backwardation for both this year and next.
India Considers Boosting Imports of U.S. Oil and Coal
India should increase the amount of crude oil and coking coal it imports from the United States as a way to diversify its supply under the interim trade deal between New Delhi and Washington, according to the country’s commerce and industry minister. India is especially keen on importing more high-quality coking coal, used in metallurgy, said Piyush Goyal, as quoted by India’s Telegraph. The top official added India could use more U.S.-made technology components, as well, including graphics processing units for AI, data center equipment, and high-performance computing systems, The Telegraph reported. India and the United States are still negotiating their trade deal, but progress has been made, mostly after India signaled it was ready to reduce its imports of Russian crude oil, for which President Trump had last year slapped an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports into the United States. Reports since have indicated that Indian refiners are turning to alternative sources of crude, although formal commitments have been slow to come, with Indian officials focusing on the importance of energy security. The fact that a lot of the trade deal has focused on oil reflects India’s role as one of the largest buyers of Russian crude since 2022, a trade that has reshaped tanker flows and underpinned refinery margins. Washington has increasingly treated that relationship as a political issue rather than a purely commercial one, using trade pressure to push New Delhi toward alternative sourcing. In coal, India is also a major importer. Last year, the country booked a 9.6% increase in coking coal imports, to 62.6 million tons, to feed its growing steelmaking industry. Imports from the United States have seen marked growth, with American coking coal rising from 7.3% of total imports to 15%, eroding the share of India’s biggest supplier of coking coal – Australia.
Russia Loses Grip on India’s Oil Market as Middle East Reclaims Top Spot
Russia’s portion of India’s crude oil imports dropped in January to its lowest level since October 2022, when New Delhi was only beginning to ramp up purchases from Moscow following the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Kpler lead analyst Sumit Ritolia told Reuters on February 18. To offset the decline in Russian deliveries, India sharply increased purchases from the Middle East, which accounted for 55% of total imports, compared with 21.2% from Russia. Such a shift has not been seen since autumn 2022, when discounted Russian Urals crude—abandoned by much of Europe—began displacing Middle Eastern grades in India’s supply mix. February data already indicate that Saudi Arabia has regained its position as India’s top supplier, with overall import volumes reaching a new record, Ritolia said. In January, India imported about 1.1 million barrels per day of Russian oil, down 23.5% from December and roughly one-third lower than a year earlier. The downward trend is expected to continue. If February imports remain around 1–1.2 million barrels per day, March volumes could fall to approximately 800,000 barrels per day, according to Ritolia.