Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal has delivered a strong message about India’s future in energy: the country can no longer afford to be dependent on imported oil and gas — and the world prefers to see India as a market, not a producer.

In recent comments, Agarwal argued that India’s heavy reliance on imported energy — nearly 90 % of oil and gas — makes the country strategically vulnerable in an unstable global landscape. He said India must boost domestic exploration and production, pointing to abundant untapped hydrocarbon resources and the potential for local output at much lower cost than imports.

Citing the example of the United States’ energy transformation through widespread exploration, Agarwal stressed that a production-focused approach creates jobs and economic value, unlike a consumption-oriented model. He noted that India currently has very few active exploration licences and that regulatory hurdles discourage investment, calling instead for policies that facilitate exploration and innovation.

Agarwal also highlighted long-term demand trends: India, as one of the world’s fastest-growing markets, will need significantly more energy over the next two decades. For him, expanding domestic production — potentially tenfold — is key to ensuring energy security, economic growth and strategic independence.