Amidst the focus on high technology and defence deals to be announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, experts are watching closely to see if energy deals, which were the highlight of his last big bilateral visit to the United States in 2019, will find a mention. In particular, it is India’s search for more LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) imports in the wake of instability in Russian supplies after the war in Ukraine, as well as speculation over the revival of the 2019 agreement between Tellurian Inc, an LNG company, and Indian Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) in energy.
The new deal being looked at, which follows GAIL India’s Expression of Interest issued in February 2023, is considering Tellurian amongst a number of other American LNG suppliers for long-term contracts for one million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), and a possible equity stake of up to 26% in a U.S.-based LNG project, officials confirmed.
“The offers received [from U.S. LNG companies], including that from Tellurian, are under evaluation for shortlisting the most suitable offer,” a GAIL spokesperson confirmed to The Hindu. Government officials, however, refused to comment on the timeline, or whether any announcement could be made during Mr. Modi’s visit, and Tellurian Inc. did not respond to requests for a comment.
