According to Locusview Co-founder and CEO Shahar Levi, India's oil and gas sector is at a unique point in its development journey today, with the natural gas sector ready for large investments backed by the proper policy and technology.

"We entered the India market after seeing the unique combination that the country has in the gas industry," Levi said at the ETEnergyworld Annual Gas Conclave, an exclusive virtual initiative aimed at bringing the gas industry's key stakeholders together for discussion on the sector's biggest challenges and opportunities.

"On the one side, the energy business here is booming, and we're looking at big investments in the gas network," Levi said. "On the other hand, investing capital to develop this massive network in an efficient and safe manner is a challenge," Levi added.

He also stated that India has a unique opportunity to do this well, which includes ensuring that the infrastructure is completed on time, within budget, and in a safe manner. "It necessitates firms having not only project information, but all the data required to operate and maintain the network for decades," Levi explained.

D K Sarraf, Former Chairperson of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) and Former Chairman & Managing Director of Oil and Natural Gas Corp, took part in the main event's curtain raiser (ONGC).

The Conclave, which will take place on Thursday and Friday and is organised by ETEnergywiorld in collaboration with GE, Locusview, GAIL (India), Pipeline Infrastructure (PIL), and Shell, is a two-day event.

Tarun Kapoor, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; Mukesh Kumar Surana, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation; and Pankaj Kumar, Chairman, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation & Chief Secretary - Government of Gujarat are among the key speakers at the event.

Other speakers from the public sector Oil & Gas landscape in India include C Laxma Reddy, Additional Director General (Exploration), Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH); E S Ranganathan, Director (Marketing), GAIL (India); R K Srivastava, Director (Exploration), ONGC; SSV Ramakumar, Director - R&D, Indian Oil; Raman Chaddha, CEO, GAIL Gas; and Gajendra Singh, Member, PNGRB. 

Deepesh Nanda, CEO, GE Gas Power South Asia; Shahar Levi, Co-founder & CEO, Locusview; Akhil Mehrotra, Managing Director & CEO, Pipeline Infrastructure Ltd; and Nakul Raheja, Country Head, Shell Energy India are among the private sector leaders expected to attend.