The India Energy Hour Presented by 101Reporters

Since the dawn of the Electricity Act, 2003, India's power transmission sector has undergone a transformation during the last two decades. The gates of the sector were open for the private sector, which brought with it investment and innovation. While the private sector continued to face the challenge of competing with an almost monopolistic government organisation, it has been able to grab a sizeable share while also bringing the cost down. And just like any other part of the electricity supply chain in the country, the power transmission sector also stands at the cusp of another transformation with the advent of large-scale renewable energy and new energy solutions. To understand the growth of the country's power transmission sector and what its focus areas are and how it is evolving along with the ever-changing landscape of the power sector, we talked with Pratik Agarwal, managing director of Sterlite Electric and chairman of Resonia. Agarwal has been one of the early movers in the power transmission sector and has a diversified portfolio of businesses in power equipment, manufacturing, renewable energy generation, and allied businesses.Full transcript of the episode is available in English.Presented by 101ReportersPratik Agarwal is on LinkedIn and TwitterFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

Solving the climate crisis—whether by scaling renewable energy or phasing down fossil fuels—requires rigorous, science-based policy that delivers win-win solutions for stakeholders. In this episode, Dr. Jai Asundi, Executive Director of the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), shares how to navigate India’s complex energy and climate policy landscape to ensure research doesn’t just sit on shelves, but actively shapes decisions for a sustainable future.Full transcript of the episode is available in English.Presented by 101ReportersJai Asundi is on LinkedIn and TwitterFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

If there is one common issue that all electricity reforms face in India it is the state of power distribution segment. State owned power distribution companies (discoms) while being marred with financial and operational inefficiencies also plague the rest of the electricity supply chain. Multiple bailout packages and reform schemes have moved the needle of improvement only so much. So what will it take to revive the discoms and fix the forever leaking pipe? To understand this and the transformation that the distribution sector is undergoing, we talked with Alok Kumar. Kumar was former secretary, union ministry of power. An IAS officer, Kumar has held notable positions at state level and in the central government. He is currently director general, All India Discoms Association (AIDA), a newly formed body to further better policies for power distribution sector.Full transcript of the episode is available in EnglishPresented by 101ReportersAlok Kumar is on LinkedIn Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

Girish Sethi, Senior Director at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), shares his immense expertise in decarbonizing energy-intensive sectors like steel and cement. He discusses the critical transition from coal dependence, emphasizing the collaborative roles of finance, policy, and innovation in achieving climate goals. Sethi highlights the potential of green hydrogen and alternative fuels, contrasts India's progress with global standards, and explores challenges in adopting sustainable practices. His insights shed light on the intricate journey of India's heavy industry toward a net-zero future.

The evolution of India’s electricity grid reflects the ever-changing dynamics of the country’s economic and infrastructure growth. Built as a backbone to coal-based power, the grid is now upgrading itself to handle green electricity, give space to energy storage and be flexible to fluctuating demand-supply scenarios. The India Energy Hour brings a special series on the progress of the grid in India, how far it has come in last the 78 years and what the future looks like as we aim to be a net carbon zero economy in the next two decades. From policy to technology, the series scans all aspects of the country’s electricity grid. In the second part, we spoke with tech-entrepreneur Vishal Pandya, co-founder, REConnect Energy, a Bengaluru based digital energy platform. REConnect builds AI and grid automation software products for energy utilities, and provides tech solutions for electricity market products and renewable energy management.Full transcript of the episode is available in EnglishPresented by 101ReportersVishal Pandya is on Twitter and  LinkedInFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

The evolution of India’s electricity grid reflects the ever-changing dynamics of the country’s economic and infrastructure growth. Built as a backbone to coal-based power, the grid is now upgrading itself to handle green electricity, give space to energy storage and be flexible to fluctuating demand-supply scenarios. The India Energy Hour brings a special series on the progress of the grid in India, how far it has come in last the 78 years and what the future looks like as we aim to be a net carbon zero economy in the next two decades. From policy to technology, the series scans all aspects of the country’s electricity grid. In the first part, we spoke with a man synonymous with the grid’s evolution – S K Soonee – first CEO of the Power System Operation Corporation (now Grid India), country’s central power grid operator. Soonee was at the helm of creation of Grid India, key development milestones and policy-altering incidents. Full transcript of the episode is available in EnglishPresented by 101ReportersS K Soonee is on Twitter and  LinkedInFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

The oil and gas sector in India has been a story of evolution from once private entities turning into nationalised companies and then again the entry of private sector in 1990s. Initially, the upstream oil exploration sector witnessed a lot of private investment but then it slowed down. The downstream oil sector simultaneously saw a variety of social schemes, billions of government funds, and private investment from marquee names. The natural gas sector, on the other hand, is a story where import dependence has only increased over the years, making the supply to key sectors, like power generation difficult, since imported gas price cannot match the cost advantage of coal. At the same time, India is aspiring to be a gas-based economy. Mega scale city gas distribution and piped gas network expansion is also under works. In the middle of this, ethanol blending programme for petrol has taken off well. Simultaneously, a pilot project on green hydrogen blending with natural gas has also started in Madhya Pradesh.To unwrap the past, present and what could be the future policies and plans for India’s oil and gas sector, we talked with Jyoti Mukul, a seasoned energy infrastructure writer. Ms Mukul was a journalist for nearly three decades and has followed milestone developments of the country’s energy security and transition efforts. She is a well-known policy analyst for energy and infrastructure sectors and her first book ‘The Great Shutdown: A story of two Indian Summers’, highlighting the infrastructure challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, came out in 2022.Full transcript of the episode is available in EnglishPresented by 101ReportersJyoti Mukul is on Twitter and  LinkedInFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

As the impacts of climate change intensify and clean energy deployment becomes crucial, energy and climate diplomacy have emerged as powerful tools to drive international cooperation and unlock finance, technology, and ambition. From global summits like COP, G7, and G20, to bilateral and multilateral partnerships, countries are negotiating entire frameworks for energy access, green industrial growth, and just transitions.But how does climate diplomacy actually work? What are the real levers for influencing outcomes in a fragmented, multipolar world? And once big declarations are made, how do we ensure follow-through and accountability on the ground?To unpack these questions, we speak with Madhura Joshi, Programme Lead - Asia Hub at E3G. Madhura is an expert in international energy and climate negotiations.Full transcript of the episode is available in EnglishPresented by 101ReportersMadhura Joshi is on Twitter and  LinkedInFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

Like other peers, India has increasingly started focusing on securing critical minerals for its energy and industrial sectors. From lithium and cobalt to rare earth elements, these minerals are essential for clean technologies like batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. As the world races to secure these resources, India is looking to position itself strategically. But, how big is India’s mining sector today, and how much could it grow in response to rising global demand? Can India realistically find its space when China and the West are in a geopolitical race for critical minerals? What does India’s evolving critical minerals policy look like, and who are the major players – especially state-owned enterprises?To help us unpack these questions, we speak with Abhinav Sengupta, energy and mining expert who brings deep insights into India’s policy and industrial strategy around critical minerals.Full transcript of the episode is available in EnglishPresented by 101Reporters Abhinav Sengupta is on LinkedInFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

Methane is often overlooked in the climate change discourse, as against carbon. Methane is over 80 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period. Released from sources like livestock, landfills, and leaky oil and gas infrastructure, methane is a tricky problem to solve. In this episode we understand what methane emissions are and how to plug them. Cutting methane emissions can be one the fastest ways to slow global warming.For this relevant issue, we talked with Hisham Mundol, Chief Advisor in India to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Mundol is a seasoned development sector executive with experience in both government and private entities.Full transcript of the episode is available in EnglishPresented by 101ReportersHisham Mundol is on Twitter and LinkedInFollow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin & YouTubeOur hosts, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin