Cairn Oil & Gas Taps Tech and Data to Modernize India's Energy Backbone
In this episode of The Sound of CIO, we're joined by Sandeep Gupta, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Cairn Oil & Gas, Vedanta—a man steering this deep-tech transformation, turning some of India's oldest hydrocarbon reserves into hubs of innovation.
But at the heart of this story is something bigger—how a legacy industry is embracing the future to produce more, safer, and cleaner.
This is not just about oil. It's about reinventing energy at a time when India needs it most.
Advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
5 days ago
- NDTV
Green Rev 2025: India's Renewable Energy Revolution Gains Momentum
New Delhi: Green Rev 2025 wrapped up in New Delhi this week, spotlighting India's strides in renewable energy, biofuels, and rural development. A one-day summit dedicated to India's Green Fuel Revolution by Trualt Bioenergy in association with NDTV brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and energy experts to discuss strategies that aim to make India a global clean energy leader. Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, highlighted the country's achievements and set the stage for future targets, while industry leaders and policymakers discussed innovations in biofuels, sustainable aviation fuel, and Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG). Speaking at the closing session, the Union Minister spoke on India's position as a global leader in clean energy. 'India is the only G20 country that has achieved 50 per cent of its installed capacity through non-fossil fuels. Ahead of almost five years of schedule, we have reached this milestone,' he said, talking about the government's target of 500 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030. 'This year alone, we have already achieved 22 gigawatts, and we may reach not less than 40–45 gigawatts.' The minister also spoke of the country's push toward energy self-reliance, while remaining deeply connected to India's agricultural and rural landscapes. 'In the past decade, ethanol blending increased from 1.5 per cent to 20 per cent, providing cleaner pathways for energy while supporting farmers,' he noted. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari focused on the rural economy and agriculture. He pointed out the challenges of agricultural surpluses and rural migration. 'While 55 per cent of our population depends on agriculture, it contributes only 14 per cent to GDP growth. Wheat, rice, sugar, and corn surpluses make farming non-viable in many areas. Our government's initiative is to diversify agriculture toward energy and power,' Mr Gadkari said. Tarun Kapoor, adviser to the Prime Minister, discussed the promise of biofuels and energy independence. 'We are looking at ethanol, compressed biogas, and biodiesel to reduce imports, create jobs, and develop homegrown technologies,' he said. Mr Kapoor also shared insights into innovative projects like the 2G ethanol plant in Assam, which plans to convert bamboo into biofuel while producing high-value byproducts, making large-scale bioenergy plants economically viable. Industry leaders also took the stage. Vijay Nirani, Managing Director of TruAlt Bioenergy, spoke about the potential of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). 'SAF is a phenomenal opportunity. We can power aircraft across continents using fuel produced by farmers,' he said, speaking of the integration of green power and hydrogen from biomass plants. Vishal Nirani, Director at TruAlt Bioenergy, explained how sugar and ethanol complexes are being leveraged for Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) production. 'The feedstock, infrastructure, and connectivity are already in place. By converting agricultural residues into CBG, we create energy, generate organic manure, and strengthen circular agriculture,' he said. The event also spotlighted the partnership between TruAlt Bioenergy - India's largest biofuels producers and GAIL (India) Limited - India's largest natural gas company, aiming to scale India's CBG sector with six new plants, creating over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs while reducing methane emissions and fossil fuel dependency. The collaboration represents a significant milestone in the nation's clean energy roadmap, combining TruAlt Bioenergy's expertise in bioenergy production with GAIL's extensive infrastructure and market reach. The JV will focus on establishing multiple greenfield CBG plants as part of a phased rollout designed to scale rapidly and deliver measurable environmental, economic, and social impact. The collaboration represents a significant milestone in the nation's clean energy roadmap, combining TruAlt Bioenergy's expertise in bioenergy production with GAIL's extensive infrastructure and market reach. The JV will focus on establishing multiple greenfield CBG plants as part of a phased rollout designed to scale rapidly and deliver measurable environmental, economic and social impact.
Business Standard
11-08-2025
- Business Standard
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd Spikes 1.5%
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has lost 5.71% over last one month compared to 5.92% fall in BSE Oil & Gas index and 3.17% drop in the SENSEX Indian Oil Corporation Ltd rose 1.5% today to trade at Rs 142. The BSE Oil & Gas index is up 0.49% to quote at 26156.05. The index is down 5.92 % over last one month. Among the other constituents of the index, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd increased 1.03% and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd added 1.02% on the day. The BSE Oil & Gas index went down 17.71 % over last one year compared to the 0.23% surge in benchmark SENSEX. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has lost 5.71% over last one month compared to 5.92% fall in BSE Oil & Gas index and 3.17% drop in the SENSEX. On the BSE, 15137 shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 7.04 lakh shares in the past one month. The stock hit a record high of Rs 183.9 on 05 Sep 2024. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 110.75 on 03 Mar 2025.
Time of India
11-08-2025
- Time of India
India's energy sector is rising through global uncertainty: Hardeep Puri
New Delhi: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Sunday that India's energy sector is rising through global uncertainty with the reforms that have been rolled out in the oil and gas sector. "While the world faces fuel volatility, India is moving ahead with reforms. Oil refining capacity in the country has increased from 215 to 258 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), and Jamnagar is now Asia's largest refinery, exporting petroleum products to 100+ countries," the minister said in a post on X. Highlighting the reforms in the upstream oil & gas exploration and production segment, the minister said that the open acreage licensing policy (OALP) Round 10 has unlocked 2.5 lakh sq km for further exploration and production. The clearances required for exploration have also been reduced from 37 to 18 to facilitate the ease of doing business. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision is driving India's energy security through resilience with over $1.3 billion having been invested in the upstream segment to increase oil exploration and production," he said. The minister has also recently highlighted in the Parliament that India is witnessing a renewed surge in oil and gas exploration with the opening of nearly one million square kilometres of erstwhile 'No-Go' offshore areas in 2022. Since 2015, Exploration and Production (E&P) companies operating in India have reported 172 hydrocarbon discoveries , including 62 in offshore areas. Puri highlighted the geological significance of the AN basin, which lies at the junction of the Andaman and Nicobar Basins within the Bengal-Arakan sedimentary system. The tectonic setting, located at the boundary of the Indian and Burmese plates, has led to the formation of numerous stratigraphic traps that are conducive to hydrocarbon accumulation. This geological promise is further amplified by the basin's proximity to proven petroleum systems in Myanmar and North Sumatra. The region has attracted renewed global interest following significant gas discoveries in South Andaman offshore Indonesia, underlining the geological continuity across the region, the minister explained. In a significant development, ONGC and Oil India Ltd (OIL) have launched an ambitious exploration campaign in the Andaman ultra-deepwater region. For the first time, drilling operations are targeting depths of up to 5,000 metres. One such wildcat well, ANDW-7, drilled in a carbonate play in the East Andaman Back Arc region, has yielded encouraging geological insights. These include traces of light crude and condensate in cutting samples, heavy hydrocarbons like C-5 neo-pentane in trip gases, the minister further stated. These findings establish, for the first time, the existence of an active thermogenic petroleum system in the region, comparable to those in Myanmar and North Sumatra. While commercial reserves remain to be established, this campaign has validated the presence of a working petroleum system and laid the foundation for focused exploration in the area, the minister said. Providing an overview of the exploration outcomes so far, the Minister informed that ONGC has made hydrocarbon discoveries in 20 blocks, with an estimated reserve of 75 million metric tonnes of oil equivalent (MMTOE). Oil India Ltd., on its part, has made seven oil and gas discoveries over the past four years, with reserves estimated at 9.8 million barrels of oil and 2,706.3 million standard cubic meters of gas. --IANS sps/vd
