UPSC Mains 2017 GS Paper 2 Q19: model answer
The question of India’s Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India’s economic progress. Analyze India’s energy policy cooperation with West Asian countries.
What the question wants
Analyse India's energy cooperation with West Asian countries as part of its energy security.
How to structure it
Analyse cooperation: why West Asia, what India has done, risks, way forward.
- Why energy security matters
- Dependence on West Asia
- Forms of cooperation
- Risks
- Way forward
How to think it through
India imports about 85–88% of its crude. For decades West Asia supplied most of it; since 2022 Russia has become a top supplier, but Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE remain central, and LNG from Qatar dominates. Cooperation has moved from buyer–seller to investment partner. The 2026 war showed the risk of Hormuz.
Model answer
India imports about 85–88% of the crude oil it uses and about half its gas. For most of the past five decades, the bulk came from West Asia. When shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted during the 2026 war involving Iran, Indian refiners and the rupee felt it within days.
Dependence on West Asia
- Crude: Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among India's top suppliers; Russian crude rose sharply after 2022 but did not replace the Gulf.
- LNG: Qatar is the largest supplier, with long-term contracts renewed in 2024 till 2048.
- LPG: largely from the Gulf.
Forms of cooperation
- From buyer to partner: the 'Look West' approach and strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia (Strategic Partnership Council, 2019) and the UAE (CEPA, 2022).
- Strategic reserves: ADNOC stores crude in India's reserve at Mangaluru; underground caverns at Visakhapatnam and Padur.
- Upstream stakes: Indian companies hold a stake in Abu Dhabi's Lower Zakum field.
- Downstream investment: Saudi Aramco and ADNOC plans in Indian refining.
- Green energy: green hydrogen and solar partnerships; the UAE and India in the International Solar Alliance.
- Connectivity: the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC, 2023).
- Diaspora: about 90 lakh Indians in the Gulf.
Risks
- Regional wars: the Gaza war (since 2023) and the 2026 conflict around Iran disrupted the Red Sea and Hormuz routes.
- Sanctions on Iran ended Iranian supplies and stalled Chabahar.
- Price shocks and OPEC+ output decisions.
Way forward
- Diversify suppliers (Russia, the US, Guyana, Africa) and routes.
- Expand strategic reserves towards 90 days.
- Long-term contracts and upstream equity.
- Accelerate renewables, biofuels and green hydrogen.
Conclusion
India's energy policy in West Asia has matured from buying oil to building interdependence. The next stage is to make that interdependence safe from the region's wars.
Draw: A map of the Gulf with supply arrows to Indian ports, Hormuz marked as a chokepoint, and reserve sites in India.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
import dependence 85–88%, ISPRL (Mangaluru, Padur, Visakhapatnam), ADNOC storage, Lower Zakum, Qatar LNG to 2048, India–UAE CEPA 2022, IMEC 2023, Hormuz, Red Sea, Look West.
Where most answers lose marks
- Listing suppliers without analysing cooperation.
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21 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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