Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, returned from the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 at Davos after a series of high-level engagements that significantly strengthened India’s positioning as one of the world’s most attractive destinations for long-term clean energy investments.

Union Minister Joshi said that the visit yielded valuable insights, strengthened strategic partnerships and reinforced global confidence in India’s renewable energy journey, The interactions at WEF 2026 further renewed India’s resolve to accelerate its clean energy transition through stable policies, sustained global collaboration and long-term investment, positioning the country as a key driver of the global energy transition, the Minister added.

At the World Economic Forum, the Union Minister showcased India’s long-term investment story, underpinned by policy stability, predictable regulations and sustained stakeholder engagement at both Central and State levels. The interactions reaffirmed global confidence in India’s ability to scale renewable energy rapidly while ensuring socio-economic growth and inclusivity.

India’s Clean Energy Growth and Investor Confidence

During multiple sessions and media interactions, the Minister highlighted India’s remarkable progress in renewable energy, achieved through transparent policies, people-centric programmes and strong execution capabilities. International stakeholders expressed keen interest in India’s investible project pipeline and acknowledged the success of flagship schemes such as PM-Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM, which have demonstrated India’s capacity to implement large-scale programmes at speed.

India’s efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing across the solar PV value chain were widely appreciated by global corporate leaders, reinforcing India’s role as a resilient and competitive clean energy manufacturing hub. The export potential of green hydrogen derivatives was also highlighted as a key enabler for supporting the energy transition of partner countries.

India’s Vision for the Energy Transition

Addressing global leaders, the Union Minister highlighted the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in the energy sector, noting its potential to improve forecasting, reduce losses, lower costs and strengthen grid reliability. He outlined India’s shift from pilot-based initiatives to platform-based deployment through Digital Public Infrastructure for Energy, enabling large-scale adoption of AI-driven solutions.

India showcased its milestone achievement of 267 GW of non-fossil fuel based installed electricity capacity and attainment of 50 per cent non-fossil capacity, five years ahead of its 2030 target date as per Paris Agreement commitments. The Minister also underlined the requirement of about USD 300–350 billion (~ ₹30 lakh crore) in financing to reach 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, inviting global investors to partner in this journey.

High-Level Bilateral and Institutional Engagements

On the sidelines of WEF 2026, the Union Minister held constructive bilateral meetings with Ministers, global CEOs, institutional investors and inter-governmental organisations, aimed at deepening collaboration and mobilising long-term capital for India’s clean energy transition.

The Minister met Dr. Said Mohammed Ahmed Al Saqri of Oman, discussing cooperation in solar, wind, green hydrogen and storage, particularly suited to arid conditions, and explored opportunities under CEPA, the International Solar Alliance and One Sun One World One Grid.

Talks with Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium, reaffirmed strong India–Belgium cooperation in research and development, offshore wind, solar energy and green taxonomy.

In a meeting with Subaih Abdul Aziz Al-Mukhaizeem, Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy of Kuwait, discussions focused on potential investments in India’s renewable energy sector, including India’s solar module and cell ecosystem, with interest from the Kuwait Investment Authority.

On the sidelines of WEF 2026, the Minister interacted with Santiago Peña, President of Paraguay, discussing technology partnerships, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing to support Paraguay’s renewable energy ambitions, while leveraging Paraguay’s clean energy strengths for regional cooperation.

Global Momentum at Davos

WEF 2026 also emphasised replicable renewable energy models for the Global South, with India and partners pledging to share lessons on solar parks, hydrogen hubs and storage solutions to ensure an inclusive energy transition. The Minister met Amon Murwira, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Zimbabwe, and discussed deepening India-Zimbabwe cooperation in New and Renewable Energy, including the support received from the International Solar Alliance towards the establishment of the STAR-C center in Zimbabwe. Minister Joshi also met Jordan’s Minister of Investment Dr Tareq Abu Ghazaleh and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan and discussed the scope for exploring potential investment partnerships.

The Union Minister also met Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency and Rafael Mariano Grossi, DG, IAEA and discussed strengthening of cooperation with the multilateral agencies to enable fostering of clean energy technologies for accelerating energy transition.

 

Industry Partnerships and Innovation

The Union Minister held a constructive meeting with Guillaume Vermersch, Group CFO of Mercuria Group, focusing on collaboration in renewable energy scaling, carbon markets, climate finance, green hydrogen, biofuels and energy storage. The Minister welcomed Mercuria’s commitment to invest nearly 50 per cent in green energy and its interest in India’s expanding clean energy ecosystem.

A forward-looking interaction was also held with Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, to explore expansion in solar and storage, advancement of green hydrogen under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, and partnerships in climate finance and technology.

The Minister also engaged with Charles Emond, CEO, and Sarah Bouchard, COO, of La Caisse, encouraging scaling up of long-term climate investments in India, aligned with La Caisse’s plan to invest USD 400 billion in climate action by 2030.

Discussions with Juvencio Maeztu, CEO of Ingka Group, highlighted strong interest in India’s solar, wind and hybrid projects, with emphasis on India’s stable and investor-friendly policy ecosystem.

In separate meetings with global industry leaders, including ENGIE CEO Catherine MacGregor, EDF CEO Bernard Fontana, EDF Power Solutions CEO Beatrice Buffon and Acciona Chief Sustainability and Financial Officer José Entrecanales Carrión, The Minister invited further investments in India’s renewable energy sector, highlighting the country as a leading and preferred destination for long-term clean energy investments.

Meetings and discussions also centered around enhancing the collaboration under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. While the meeting with Topsoe leadership focused on the deployment of the next generation Electrolyzer technology, the meeting with Bloom Energy’s Aman Joshi explored distributed power solutions such as fuel cell technologies for industrial clusters and data centres.

Interaction with S&P Global President Dave Ernsberger focused on developing robust frameworks for credit assessment, ESG standards and price discovery in renewables.

The engagements at Davos 2026 reaffirmed that India will remain a central focus for global investments in clean and green energy, driven by scale, policy certainty, strong execution and a people-centric approach to sustainable growth.

Global companies are increasingly looking at exploring partnerships in India in order to utilise local experience and knowledge of Indian companies and rapidly expand their presence in India through both greenfield and brownfield projects and investments.

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Navin Sreejith

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