Deepak Gupta, Director (Projects) at GAIL (India) Limited, delivered the keynote address at the India Oil & Gas Pipeline Conference 2025 (IOGPC 2025), the inaugural edition of the event hosted in India by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as part of IMECE India 2025 at High-Tech City, Hyderabad. The biennial conference, running from September 10 to 13, has brought together global leaders from academia, government, and industry to drive innovation across engineering disciplines.
In his address, Gupta emphasized India’s growing stature as a global hub for technology-led energy solutions, focusing on sustainability, inclusivity, clean energy, artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), and advanced materials. He outlined the Government of India’s plan to increase the share of natural gas in the primary energy mix from nearly 7% to 15% by 2030, highlighting the critical role of innovation and collaboration in achieving this target.
Gupta detailed India’s rapid progress in expanding its natural gas pipeline infrastructure under the “One Nation, One Grid” initiative, which now spans about 25,000 km, with GAIL operating nearly two-thirds of the network.
He called for a robust integrity management framework to protect critical energy infrastructure from the challenges of rapid urbanization, electrical grid expansion, extreme weather events, and a shortage of skilled manpower. Gupta expressed confidence that international platforms like IMECE India 2025 will help bridge knowledge gaps by promoting global codes and standards, fostering research, and strengthening partnerships across government, academia, and industry.
Concluding his remarks, Gupta advocated for a cleaner, greener, and energy-secured future for India, underscoring the country’s leadership in global efforts to achieve long-term climate and sustainability goals.
