India’s energy sector must move faster on innovation, technology self-reliance and cleaner infrastructure as the country’s energy demand surges, GAIL (India) Limited CMD Deepak Gupta said at an innovation-focused industry event in Hyderabad.

 

GAIL, Petronet LNG Limited and MC² Foundation, in association with iTIC Incubator of IIT Hyderabad, organised the MC² Plus IGNITE Hyderabad Connect at IIT Hyderabad, bringing together energy companies, startups, academia and research institutions to accelerate the development and deployment of new technologies.

 

Gupta said India is at a “remarkable inflection point”, facing the twin challenge of meeting rapidly rising energy demand while transitioning to cleaner energy, strengthening energy security and reducing dependence on imported technologies and critical systems.

 

He stressed that the energy industry needs transformational thinking to build smarter and more resilient infrastructure and deliver affordable and reliable energy while meeting the country’s climate commitments.

 

The MC² IGNITE initiative, he said, is designed to move promising ideas beyond the laboratory — from prototypes and pilots to commercial deployment and scale. Innovation, he emphasised, must ultimately be judged by its implementation and real-world impact.

 

A key focus of the programme is Digital Asset Management, with Gupta calling for conventional infrastructure to be transformed into “intelligent assets” using artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, sensors, robotics, drones and digital twins.

 

The goal, he said, is to take the industry beyond preventive and predictive maintenance towards prescriptive maintenance, where technology can anticipate failures and recommend the most appropriate interventions.

 

Gupta also outlined five key imperatives for the energy sector: efficiency, technology self-reliance, net-zero, self-sustaining energy systems and technological self-reliance.

 

He called for a stronger domestic innovation ecosystem, moving beyond “Make in India” and “Invent in India” towards “Innovate in India, deploy in India and Export from India”

 

Petronet LNG MD & CEO Akshay Kumar Singh highlighted the role of digital technologies in transforming LNG infrastructure.

 

“MC²+ Ignite in connecting India’s energy industry with the startup and innovation ecosystem, with a focus on leveraging digital technologies such as AI, advanced sensors, robotics and digital twins to make LNG infrastructure smarter, safer, more reliable and efficient. It underscores the vast opportunities for innovation across the LNG value chain and called for industry–startup collaboration to translate promising ideas and technologies into practical, scalable solutions addressing real-world energy challenges.”

 

Singh also pointed to opportunities to commercialise cold energy generated as a byproduct of the LNG regasification process, with potential applications in data centres, cold storage and air separation units.

 

He further highlighted opportunities to improve CBG yields and optimise value-added byproducts, potentially helping drive substantial import substitution.

 

IIT Hyderabad Director Prof. BS Murty said the institute would contribute its faculty expertise, research capabilities and infrastructure to help promising innovations move closer to deployment.

 

“IIT Hyderabad has always placed innovation at the forefront of its academic and research ecosystem, with a strong focus on translating ideas into solutions that create meaningful impact for society and the nation. The MC² Plus initiative brings together industry, academia and the startup ecosystem around some of the most important challenges facing India’s energy sector. 

 

"We are pleased to collaborate with MC² Foundation and contribute our faculty expertise, research capabilities and infrastructure to help promising innovations move closer to real-world deployment. Such partnerships strengthen our shared commitment to building an innovation ecosystem that is not only globally competitive but also contributes to India’s technological self-reliance and national development.”

 

GAIL Director (HR) Ayush Gupta urged students and startups to challenge conventional approaches and develop solutions to real-world energy problems.

 

“MC²+ Ignite would not only fund innovative ideas but would empower innovators to shape India’s energy future. With experienced mentors, the platform would help transform real-life challenges into smarter, simpler solutions, supporting India’s transition towards affordable, sustainable and energy-secure growth. He urged students and start-up founders to articulate their ideas and challenge the status quo to drive solutions."

 

The event featured a panel discussion on innovation and the startup ecosystem, moderated by Murali Talasila of Groundgame.health.

 

The panel brought together Vaibhav Kaushik of Nawgati, G. Prasad Babu of GCRS, Milesh Dongre of EyeROV, Varun Kumar of Detect Technologies, Bhuvanesh Kumar Sharma of VDT Pipeline Integrity Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and Vishwas Chandra Khan of Vasitars.

 

The discussion focused on emerging technologies, entrepreneurial opportunities and the growing role of startups in solving complex challenges across the energy industry.

 

MC² Foundation CEO Sandeep Maheshwari said MC² Plus is India’s flagship energy innovation accelerator, envisioned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in collaboration with leading energy-sector organisations.

 

The programme targets seven priority areas: Digital Asset Management; AI-Driven Subsurface Intelligence; Next-Generation Drilling & Well Completion; Refinery Process Intensification & Catalysis; Bio-Energy with a focus on Compressed Biogas (CBG); Hydrogen & Mobility; and other energy-sector innovations.

 

The initiative reflects a broader push to connect India’s energy industry with its startup and research ecosystem — with the focus shifting from generating ideas to getting technologies into the field, at scale.