Annual oil and gas conference —Pragmatic paths in energy transition

26 Nov 2025

At the annual oil and gas conference in New Delhi today I had the privilege of interacting with some of the sharpest minds in the energy sector.

Oil and gas has been facing some harsh criticism in the last few decades but whether we like it or not it's a key driver of the economy.

The transportation industry is the second largest consumer of fossil fuels next only to the power industry. In the short term it's unlikely that batteries will be able to meet the demand. Similarly building a green hydrogen ecosystem would take time. LNG provides a relatively clean alternative to petrol or diesel until alternatives are in place.

The energy supply chain gets even more complicated when manufacturing is brought into the mix. Can we find alternatives to natural gas or coal in the glass industry, in steelmaking or in cement manufacturing? It's possible but it will require massive initial investment. A switch to nuclear power as it's happening in the USA may offset some reliance on fossils but it won't replace it completely. With time? Sure. But it's going to be a gradual process .

The engineering and infrastructure for natural gas is directly transferable to the hydrogen industry.

Compression and storage technology are going to prove very useful as a switch is made. Developments in piping will later characterise hydrogen distribution.

Molecular sieves used in hydrocarbon refining are also important for nitrogen and oxygen production, both industrially important products — pure oxygen being particularly imp in the medical industry.

Stirling cycle based cryogenic coolers have captured the gas cooling market. But they could have some very important applications as heat pumps for temperature control in buildings — one of the biggest consumers of energy.

It's important that we preserve the technological advancements that we've made in hydrocarbons even as we move towards renewables.

Akshat Jiwan Sharma

Strategy Consultant--Innovation/ Materials science/International relations/Telecommunications/Digital Transformation/Partnerships

Mobile/whatsapp:+919654119771

email:getellobed@gmail.com

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Akshat Jiwan Sharma

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