Energy Philately at India Energy Week

 

Energy Philately Exhibit

In the global energy domain, the biggest event that happened in recent times, after the COP 29, which was held on November 2024 at Baku, Azerbaijan was India Energy Week (IEW). It was held at state-of-the-art venue Yashobhoomi, Delhi, India during February 11-14, 2025. The first and second editions of IEW were held in 2023 (Mumbai) and 2024 (Goa). Today, IEW is a crucial annual event in global energy calendar. The mega event of energy sector was held under the patronage of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. IEW 3.0 was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.

Inauguration of IEW by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India

Area wise, the India International Convention & Expo Centre (IICC), called Yashobhoomi, is India’s and Asia's largest convention and exhibition centre. It has one the biggest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) facilities of the world. A total indoor exhibition & convention area of 300,000 m2 is available for domestic and international conferences. The total area of the entire convention centre is 890,000 m2. It has in-built parking facilities capable of accommodating 34,808 vehicles (indoor 28,608, outdoor 6,200).  Yashobhoomi was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, on his birthday, September 17, 2023.

The venue: Yashobhoomi

As today, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it has a critical role in the global energy market. India is the most populous country in the world. It is the third biggest importer as well as third largest consumer of petroleum form of energy. Unfortunately, India is heavily dependent on import for its energy security. In the year 2024, India imported crude petroleum oil and Natural gas over 85% and 47% respectively. The demand for energy for India is growing by leaps and bounds. Some of the reasons which are fuelling the Indian energy demand are economic growth, expansion of industrialization, rapid growth of urbanization, etc.   To keep the both wheels of modern life of India and Indian industry rolling, India’s electricity demand is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5% over the next decade, as per Central Electricity Authority (CEA) of India.

An environment friendly drive to the venue

Government of India has undertaken multi-pronged action plan to reduce the import dependency and moving towards self-reliance. A few of them are:

1. Import of crude petroleum oil from world’s different large suppliers – Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia etc.  
2. Diversification of sources of oil and gas import. Sourcing from countries like Argentina, Angola, Guyana etc., looking beyond age-old suppliers of gulf, US, Russia etc.
3. Increasing the contribution of natural gas in Indian energy mix basket from existing 6.2% to 15% by 2030
4. Creation of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030
5. Production of green hydrogen of 5 million metric tonnes per annum by 2030, institutionalized   National Hydrogen Mission
6. Introduction of Production Linked Incentives (PLI) for renewable energy manufacturing
7. Expansion of gas grid across the country

And many others.

Innovation and Sustainability for future world

At IEW, various aspects of domestic advancement and collaboration with global energy businesses were displayed and demonstrated in nine distinct thematic zones:

1. Hydrogen zone

2. Biofuels zone

3. Renewable energy zone

4. LNG ecosystem zone

5. Make in India zone

6. City Gas Distribution zone

7. Petrochem zone

8. Digitalization & AI zone

9. India Net Zero zone

An overwhelming response witnessed more than 700 exhibitors, from different parts of the world to converge at IEW.

Energy Philately at IEW: 

Anurag Sinha, Executive Director (yellow jacket) and other senior executives from Engineers India Ltd.

Visitors to Hall Number 2, Make in India zone (out of 9 thematic zones) of Engineers India Ltd. (EIL), of the India Energy Week encountered an unexpected yet captivating display - Energy Philately.

A Process Engineer from Technip Energy with others

Chris from Oklahoma, US

Philately, the study and collection of postage stamps, has fascinated enthusiasts since the first postage stamp was issued in Great Britain in 1840. 

Dr. Pankaj Sharma, PPAC, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, India

Energy Philately is a specialized segment that focuses on stamps showcasing various aspects of the energy sector, including oil and gas, renewable energy, energy conservation, and environmental themes.  

Fabian from Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority, Tanzania

This meticulously curated exhibit presented a visual narrative of the energy industry, beginning with geological surveys—depicted through land, underwater, and aerial exploration stamps. It then explored key aspects of oil and gas exploration, showcasing stamps featuring drill bits, jack pumps, and refinery operations, as well as tributes to scientific pioneers like Dmitri Mendeleev, whose Periodic Table remains fundamental to petrochemical advancements.  

Another Dmitry, from Russia, in real life!

The exhibit included historically significant energy-themed stamps from across the world, such as:  

1. Centenary of the U.S. oil industry (1859-1959)

2. Centenary of the Indian petroleum industry (1889-1989)  

3. The world’s oldest operational refinery at Digboi, Assam, India (120+ years)  

4. India’s first refinery post-independence at Guwahati, Assam, India (1962)  

5. The world’s largest single-location refinery at Jamnagar  

Energy experts from Italy

The natural gas sector was also well represented, featuring stamps highlighting milestones such as RasGas of Qatar, LNG16/GNL16 (16th Conference) in Algeria, and India's LNG terminal at Hazira, Gujarat.  

Kazunori from Japan

The global energy industry’s vast reach was reflected through stamps issued on major international oil and gas corporations, including Petrobras (Brazil), Petroleos Mexicanos (Mexico), Petroleo en Chile (Chile), Nederlandse Antillen (Netherlands Antilles), and PDVSA (Venezuela). 

Sujoy Choudhury (in red tie), former Director Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. 

Energy Management students from NTPC School of Business, India

India’s leading petroleum enterprises - ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., and Reliance Industries Ltd., were also prominently featured.  

Executives from Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

The power sector found representation through a commemorative stamp on Tata Power Ltd.

Kirti Vardhan Rathore, the designer of HPCL Special Cover on Energy

Nuclear energy was symbolized by the iconic ‘Atoms for Peace’ stamp, echoing the historic speech delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the United Nations General Assembly on December 8, 1953.  

Bhashit Dholakia, CEO and other energy executives, Indian Oil-Adani Gas Pvt. Ltd.

The exhibit concluded with a strong focus on renewable energy sources, displaying stamps dedicated to solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal power, with an overarching message of energy conservation and sustainability. 

 

A K Verma, former Managing Director ONGC Petro Additions Ltd. (OPAL)

IEW attracted over 70,000 energy professional from around the world. From such a huge gatherings, there was significant turnout throughout all four days of IEW, at the display of Energy Philately. 

Energy experts from Abu Dhabi

Energy professionals from both international and domestic sectors including delegates, policymakers, and students, visited and enjoyed the beauty and charm of unique Energy Philately. 

Pankaj Srivastava, senior executive from HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL), India

Sagar Sen, a senior executive from Coal India Ltd.

The footfalls at Energy Philately were by who’s who of global energy canvas.

 

Energy experts from Bechtel and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (Ali Sajid Husain)

There were experts from USA, Russia, Tanzania, Italy, Abu Dhabi etc. They represented various energy companies and energy service sectors viz. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Engineers India Ltd., Mahanagar Gas Ltd., IndianOil-Adani Gas Pvt. Ltd.,  Technip Energies, Bechtel, etc. 

Dr. Manas Das (right), senior executive from Mahanagar Gas Ltd., India

A visitor who spent lot of time

He must have found something interesting!

Anmol, a Creative Director from a media house found it interesting

Another attentive visitor

Rank wise they ranged from students of energy management from premium management institutes to head honchos of the corporate world – Managing Directors, Executive Directors, Presidents, Vice Presidents etc.  

The Exhibitor

This remarkable exhibition was just a glimpse into the extensive collection of Kumar Biswas, a dedicated Energy Philatelist and a member of the Petroleum Philatelic Society International, U.K. (https://ppsi.org.uk/). His collection serves as a unique testament to the intersection of energy, history, and philately, offering an insightful perspective on the evolution of the global energy landscape. 

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