This is an archive article published on September 9, 2024

Nuclear to LNG, India & UAE ink 4 key pacts to expand energy ties

An agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts.

PM Narendra Modi with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at a meeting. (PTI)

3 min readNew DelhiSep 10, 2024 04:19 AM IST First published on: Sep 9, 2024 at 04:20 PM IST

India and the United Arab Emirates on Monday signed four pacts to expand energy cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the visiting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

An agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts.

Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) also inked an MoU for operation and maintenance of Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, Ministry of External Affairs said.

The fourth pact is a production concession agreement for Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 1 between Urja Bharat and ADNOC. A separate pact was inked between the Gujarat government and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC on setting up food parks in India.

On the occasion of the visit, the following MoUs/ Agreements were signed ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LbpTeLXsli

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 9, 2024

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said PM Modi and Crown Prince Al Nahyan discussed the multifaceted relations between India and the UAE with an aim to broaden comprehensive strategic partnership. “India-UAE ties taking greater strides! PM @narendramodi met with HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi today,” he said on X.

“The two leaders discussed the multifaceted India-UAE relations and avenues to broaden the comprehensive strategic partnership to new and emerging areas,” Jaiswal said.

In their talks, Modi and Al Nahyan are understood to have also deliberated on pressing global challenges, including Gaza.

Al Nahyan also called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where discussions covered the “warm, historic and comprehensive ties between the two countries and the several initiatives taken in recent years”. “President Murmu expressed her gratitude to the leadership of the UAE for hosting more than 3.5 million Indians,” the MEA said.

The Crown Prince also visited Rajghat and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. He became the third-generation leader from the UAE to plant a sapling at Rajghat, following Sheikh Zayedbin Sultan Al Nahyan, former President of the UAE in 1992; and Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE in 2016.

The Crown Prince will visit Mumbai Tuesday and participate in an India-UAE Business Forum. A soft launch on the commencement of work on the India-UAE virtual trade corridor and MAITRI interface to facilitate VTC will also take place in Mumbai on Tuesday.