Sagar Adani calls for building robust domestic infrastructure to ensure energy security

Sagar Adani, Executive Director of Adani Group entity Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), on Wednesday called for building robust domestic infrastructure to ensure energy security in a bid to withstand global shocks and disruptions, especially wars and conflicts. Addressing a session at Resilient Futures Summit organised by Economist Enterprise, the industrialist advocated for energy security and noted that countries should shift their priorities from how fast they can grow to how well they can withstand disruptions. "We've all seen how conflict in one region can disrupt supply chains across continents. We've all seen how shocks in energy markets can ripple through economies overnight," he said, noting that the question for every nation is no longer just how fast can you grow, it is: How well can you withstand disruption." Highlighting that energy is the foundational element, he said water security needs energy for desalination, treatment, and distribution, while food security needs energy for fertilisers, irrigation, and logistics.

For digital leadership, energy is needed for data centers, AI, and computing infrastructure and for economic stability, energy is required to ensure that growth remains affordable for the common citizen. "So if India is to become a developed economy by 2047, we are not talking about incremental growth. We are talking about a structural leap. We are talking about adding nearly 2,000 gigawatts of new capacity over the next two decades," he said. Most developed and prosperous nations are either energy independent or have built deep, strategic energy partnerships, he said. Citing the example of China, he said, despite being constrained in oil and gas, China has systematically invested in domestic capacity across coal, hydro, nuclear, and renewables, while simultaneously building strategic reserves and supply chains. For India, the path forward is clear, he said, adding that "We must electrify everything. We must reduce structural dependence on imported energy. And we must build an energy backbone anchored in resources that are available within the country." According to him, India will benefit from a multi-pronged approach, as it will allow the country to pursue decarbonization while maintaining energy security.

"Renewables will, and must, scale rapidly. Storage technologies will continue to evolve. But there are real constraints -- particularly around land and intermittency," he said, noting that to truly close the gap, India must adopt a "portfolio approach". "We must fully leverage every energy source available to us: Renewables. Hydro. Efficient thermal and nuclear. Because without firm, scalable baseload power, the math simply does not work. This is not optional for India. It is inevitable," he said. Highlighting that macro and micro policy changes by the government, he said over the past decade, India's leadership has played an exceptional role in cutting red tape, getting rid of unnecessary and outdated regulations, revitalising public undertakings and encouraging private enterprises. "We see ourselves not just as operators of infrastructure, but as builders of India's energy backbone for the next several decades," he said as he highlighted Adani Group's USD 100 billion commitment towards the energy transition -- one of the largest private-sector commitments globally. Beyond energy, our presence across ports, logistics, airports, and data centers is part of the same vision. Because resilience is never built in silos. Because in the end, resilience is not built through intent alone. It is built through execution. Through the ability to create infrastructure at scale, at speed, and with purpose. "We will not just secure our own future. We will not just elevate 1.4 billion people... We will help stabilise the future of the global economy. Because India does not operate in isolation."