India Inches Closer To IEA Full Membership: Report

India Inches Closer To IEA Full Membership: Report

India, which first joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) family as an association country in 2017, is set to become its full-time member. Ministers from the International Energy Agency’s member countries recently announced their plans to start discussions with India on the Indian government’s request to become a full IEA member, recognising the country’s strategic importance in tackling global energy and climate challenges.

Ministers from the IEA’s 31 member countries announced in a joint communique following the IEA’s 2024 Ministerial Meeting and 50th anniversary events in Paris on 13-14 February.

India, which joined the IEA Family as an Association country in 2017, sent a formal request for full membership to IEA ministers in October 2023. India becoming an IEA member would mark a huge, consequential change in international energy governance. As the world’s most populous country, India is set to play an increasingly central role in efforts to safeguard energy security, drive inclusive energy transitions, and combat climate change.

In the next three decades, India is poised to see the largest energy demand growth of any country in the world as industrialization and urbanization surge and per capita income rises sharply. “India is the world’s fastest growing major economy. Sustained growth needs energy security and sustainability,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. “Inclusivity boosts the credibility and capability for any institution. 1.4 billion Indians bring talent, technology and innovation to the table. We bring scale and speed, quantity and quality to every mission. I am sure that the IEA will benefit when India plays a bigger role in it.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my full support for the Agency’s efforts to welcome emerging economies, whether through the recent association of Kenya and Senegal or the launch of negotiations with India to join the IEA as a full member,” said President Emmanuel Macron of France.

“We are very happy that ministers from the IEA’s member countries have agreed to start membership talks with India – this is a major milestone for international energy governance,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “A valued and indispensable partner of our Agency, India plays a crucial and growing role in the global energy economy. The world cannot plan for its energy future without India at the table.”

“Congratulations to IEA on its 50th anniversary. Ensuring assured and affordable energy supplies while pursuing global clean energy transitions goals is more important than ever. IEA’s global role and leadership in this context has been critical to its partners around the world,” said India’s Minister of External

“In so many ways, the world’s energy future will depend on India’s energy future” told US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in renewable and alternative energies has already driven down prices for the rest of the world making these options cost competitive with every other energy source. The world’s oldest continuous democracy looks forward to soon welcoming the world’s largest democracy into IEA membership to advance our shared climate and energy security goals.”

“The agreed text on relations with India highlights the commitment to expand the Agency’s action and represents a step forward towards sharing common goals and global commitment in pursuing sustainable solutions for the energy and ecological transition,” said Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin of Italy, which holds the G7 Presidency this year.