He was speaking at the South Asian Geoscience Conference Geo India 2022 in Jaipur.
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday announced that the Indian petroleum industry is at the cusp of opportunity and will be able to produce 25 per cent of its crude oil demand by 2030.
At present, five million barrels of petroleum are being consumed in India every day and it is also increasing by three per cent, which is higher than the global average of around one per cent, the Minister said while speaking at the three-day South Asian Geoscience Conference Geo India 2022, which began in Rajasthan's Jaipur on Friday.
In the inaugural session, the Minister said that the ethanol-blend percentage in petrol has increased from 0.67 per cent in 2013 to 10 per cent in May 2022, five months ahead of schedule.
"It is reducing 2.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions which is good for the environment. As per the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, India will contribute a quarter (25 per cent) of the growth in global energy consumption in the coming two decades. BP estimates that India's energy demand will double, while natural gas demand is expected to grow five-fold by 2050," said Minister.
At the event, Petroleum Secretary Pankaj Jain said the geology experts should utilise this opportunity to elevate their contribution in the context of increasing demand and scarcity of energy sources.
He asked the geoscientific fraternity to develop tailored knowledge for deep water, ultra-deep water and onshore to enhance oil and gas production while doing it in environmental sustainable manner.
Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries and participants, Rajesh Kumar Srivastava, CMD, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) and Chief Patron of APG, said, "Geo India has been a major leader in the last 14 years under the aegis of Association of Petroleum Geologists (APG) India. The biennial South Asian Geology Conference and Exhibition has evolved in terms of size and international participation. The global market value of automation technology in the oil and gas sector is projected to nearly double and reach approximately USD 42 billion by 2030. It is high time that the oil and gas sector take advantage of the digital transformation."
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