Union Minister for Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal led the Indian delegation at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial held in Houston, Texas from 14 to 16 September 2026 under the USA G20 Presidency. The meeting brought together energy ministers from major economies to agree on steps for secure and affordable power, faster approvals for infrastructure and resilient supply chains for critical minerals. India used the platform to present its 552 GW power capacity achievement and to press for practical, technology neutral energy choices that suit developing countries.
What Is the G20 and How Does It Work?
The G20, or Group of Twenty, is a forum of the world’s largest economies for discussion on economic growth, financial stability and global challenges such as energy, climate and health. The G20 was formed in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis to bring major developed and developing economies to the same table for joint policy action.
The G20 has 21 members, which include 19 countries plus the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The African Union joined as a permanent member at the New Delhi Summit in 2023 under India’s presidency, which changed the group from G20 to G21 in common usage, though the name G20 continues.
The G20 represents about 85 percent of global GDP, about 75 percent of international trade and about two thirds of the world population. The G20 has no permanent headquarters or secretariat. The presidency rotates every year among members. Each presidency sets the agenda, hosts working group meetings and ministerial meetings, and ends with an annual Leaders Summit of heads of state and government. The G20 works through two main channels, the Finance Track and the Sherpa Track, along with working groups on subjects such as energy, trade, health and innovation. The G20 summit is held every year, and decisions are taken by consensus and are voluntary and non binding in nature.
| G20 Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full form | Group of Twenty |
| Formed in | 1999 |
| Total members | 21 (19 countries plus European Union and African Union) |
| Share of world economy | About 85 percent of global GDP |
| Presidency in 2026 | United States |
| Leaders Summit 2026 | 14 to 15 December in Miami, Florida |
G20 Summit 2026 Under the USA Presidency
The United States assumed the G20 presidency in December 2025 after South Africa. The USA presidency has placed three core themes at the centre, which are faster economic growth with lower regulatory burden, affordable and secure energy supply chains, and innovation in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. The host year will end with the 21st G20 Leaders Summit on 14 to 15 December 2026 in Miami, Florida.
Where Is the G20 Summit 2026 Being Held?
The G20 Summit 2026 will be held in the United States, with the Leaders Summit scheduled on 14 to 15 December 2026 at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida. The United States is hosting ministerial meetings across different cities through the year before the final leaders meeting.
As part of this calendar, the Finance Ministers meeting is being held in Asheville, North Carolina, the Innovation Ministerial in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, the Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Foreign Ministers meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Energy Abundance Ministerial in Houston, Texas. This spread shows how the presidency is using working groups and ministerial meetings to build agreement step by step before the Miami summit.
The Houston energy meeting took place from 14 to 16 September 2026. The hosts were the White House National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC), the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Energy ministers and senior representatives from G20 members, including India, China, Japan, Germany, Canada and Saudi Arabia, took part in the three day deliberations.
India at the Houston Energy Abundance Ministerial
The Indian delegation was led by Manohar Lal, Union Minister for Power and Housing and Urban Affairs. Manohar Lal took charge of both ministries on 10 June 2024 after serving as the Chief Minister of Haryana from 2014 to 2024. He attended the Energy Abundance Working Group sessions in Houston on 15 September 2026 and spoke during the discussions on energy security and regulatory efficiency.
India told the meeting that secure, affordable and reliable energy is essential for development, especially for developing economies. The Indian side stressed that countries have different resources, needs and growth priorities, so there cannot be a single energy path for all. India called for a practical and technology neutral approach that respects national circumstances and supports sustainable development through international cooperation.
On the sidelines of the ministerial, Manohar Lal held bilateral meetings with Chris Wright, Secretary of the United States Department of Energy, Doug Burgum, Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, and Corey Hogan, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. The talks with the United States covered India’s power needs for artificial intelligence, high performance computing and data centres, along with India’s nuclear expansion plan. Both sides restated their cooperation under the US-India Energy Security Partnership, with focus on clean energy, resilient infrastructure and new technologies.
Energy Security and Affordable Baseload
Energy security means assured access to enough energy at prices people and industry can afford. Affordable baseload refers to power supply that is available round the clock to meet constant demand, even when solar output falls at night or wind speed drops. The first pillar of the Houston meeting dealt with how G20 members can keep such supply stable while adding cleaner sources.
India presented itself as an example of balancing fast growth with clean energy addition. India’s installed electricity generation capacity has reached 552 GW, and more than half of this capacity now comes from non fossil fuel sources. Data placed before Parliament showed total capacity at 548.86 GW as on June 2026, with 54.18 percent from non fossil sources such as solar, wind, hydro, nuclear and biomass. India added about 55.3 GW of non fossil capacity in 2025-26 alone, including 44.6 GW of solar.
India also pointed to early success under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are the climate action pledges each country files under the Paris Agreement of 2015. India has already crossed its earlier goal of 50 percent non fossil installed capacity by 2030 and has now submitted a revised pledge to reach 60 percent non fossil capacity by 2035. The long term goal remains Net Zero emissions by 2070, which means balancing the greenhouse gases released with an equal amount removed from the atmosphere.
For the road ahead, India highlighted growth in solar power, battery storage, pumped hydro storage and nuclear energy. The government has set a target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and 500 GW of non fossil capacity by 2030. India also drew attention to its global initiatives, which are the International Solar Alliance (ISA), headquartered in Gurugram and launched jointly by India and France in 2015, the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) plan to link solar grids across regions, and the Global Biofuels Alliance launched during India’s G20 presidency in 2023 to promote biofuels such as ethanol.
Permitting and Regulatory Efficiency
Permitting and regulatory efficiency means making government approvals for energy and infrastructure projects faster, clearer and more predictable without weakening environmental safeguards. Long delays in land, forest, environment and grid approvals can raise project costs and slow down power addition. The second pillar of the Houston meeting focused on fixing this bottleneck.
India shared its experience with digital approval systems that cut paperwork and improve coordination between departments. The three platforms highlighted were the National Single Window System, a single online portal where investors can apply for many central and state approvals, PARIVESH, the central portal for environment, forest, wildlife and coastal clearances operated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and PM Gati Shakti, the National Master Plan launched in 2021 to map infrastructure, logistics and land records on one digital platform for better project planning.
The G20 meeting recognised these practices through a symposium on permitting and regulatory efficiency. The member countries agreed to encourage efficient and predictable domestic approval processes, share best practices and build capacity for better coordination. The outcome also supports voluntary exchange of public data where suitable and the use of secure digital tools and artificial intelligence to improve application tracking, inter department coordination and decision making, while respecting national laws and sovereignty.
Critical Minerals and Resilient Supply Chains
Critical minerals are minerals that are essential for modern industry but face a high risk of supply disruption. The list includes lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, graphite and rare earth elements. These minerals are needed to make electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, semiconductors, data centre equipment and advanced defence systems. As demand for clean energy and digital services rises, secure access to these minerals has become central to energy security.
The supply chain for these minerals is highly concentrated today. India remains fully import dependent for minerals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, rare earth elements and silicon, while a single country accounts for about 90 percent of global processing capacity. This concentration creates risks of price swings and sudden shortages. A resilient supply chain therefore means diversified sources, regional processing capacity, recycling of used products and shared information on reserves and markets.
The Ministry of Mines in India identified 30 critical minerals in June 2023 after a committee review covering electronics, defence and renewable energy. To act on this list, the Union Cabinet approved the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) on 29 January 2025. The mission runs from 2024-25 to 2030-31 with a government outlay of ₹16,300 crore and an expected investment of ₹18,000 crore by public sector units, taking the total size to ₹34,300 crore. The mission covers the full chain from exploration and mining to processing and recycling of end of life products.
| Mission Target by 2030-31 | Detail |
|---|---|
| Domestic exploration projects | 1,200 projects through Geological Survey of India |
| Mineral blocks to be auctioned | More than 100 critical mineral blocks |
| Overseas assets | At least 50 assets to be secured by Indian firms |
| Processing parks | 4 regional parks for refining and manufacturing |
| Recycling support | ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme for recovery from e-waste and scrap |
At Houston, India stressed recycling, circular use and greater value creation inside developing countries instead of export of raw ore alone. India sought G20 cooperation on recycling technology, recovery from waste such as fly ash and tailings, and diversification of processing. The G20 Critical Minerals Statement accepted voluntary cooperation to build resilient, affordable, secure and diversified value chains through information sharing, joint research, investment, skill building and respect for each country’s sovereign rights over natural resources.
Four Consensus Outcomes and Significance for India
The Houston ministerial closed on 16 September 2026 with consensus on four outcomes linked to the three pillars. The first outcome was a declaration on advancing clean cooking access. The declaration accepts technology neutral and locally suited solutions and notes that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has driven about 75 percent of global gains in clean cooking access since 2010. This matters because nearly two billion people still cook with traditional biomass that harms health and takes time to collect. The second outcome was the agreement on permitting and regulatory efficiency to speed up energy infrastructure while keeping safeguards intact.
The third outcome was a Water Reuse Initiative that promotes voluntary and fit for purpose reuse of water for communities, energy plants, manufacturing and farming. Water reuse means treating used water to safe standards so it can be used again for a suitable purpose instead of using fresh water each time. The fourth outcome was the critical minerals statement on secure and diversified mineral chains. Together, the four outcomes support the USA presidency goal of energy abundance through reliable supply, faster project building and stronger supply chains.
For India, the results connect directly to domestic needs. Peak power demand in India touched 270.8 GW in May 2026, and demand from data centres, artificial intelligence computing and cooling is set to rise further. Secure baseload from coal, hydro, nuclear and storage, along with faster clearances through platforms such as PM Gati Shakti, will help India add capacity on time. Cooperation on critical minerals, including overseas assets in Argentina and Australia through Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), joint work with France and the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative with the United States, Japan and Australia, will help India cut import risks for batteries and solar equipment. The emphasis on LPG based clean cooking also matches India’s own experience with expanded LPG access, while the water reuse approach is useful for thermal plants and growing cities facing water stress.
Key Takeaways
- Manohar Lal led the Indian delegation at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial held in Houston from 14 to 16 September 2026 under the USA G20 Presidency.
- The Houston meeting was built on three pillars, which are Energy Security and Affordable Baseload, Permitting and Regulatory Efficiency, and Critical Minerals and Resilient Supply Chains.
- India reported 552 GW of installed power capacity with more than 50 percent from non fossil sources and restated the Net Zero by 2070 goal.
- The National Critical Mineral Mission, approved on 29 January 2025 with a total size of ₹34,300 crore, targets 1,200 exploration projects and 50 overseas mineral assets by 2030-31.
- The 21st G20 Leaders Summit will be held on 14 to 15 December 2026 in Miami, Florida, closing the USA presidency year.
- The Houston consensus delivered four outcomes on clean cooking access with LPG, permitting efficiency, water reuse and critical minerals cooperation.
