Canada is seeking to position itself as a long-term and reliable partner in meeting India’s growing baseload power needs, as electricity demand continues to rise faster than renewable energy systems can currently support.

At the India Energy Week Strategic Conference, Hon. Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Government of Canada, spoke during the panel “Charting a course through uncertainty: securing affordable, accessible and sustainable energy in a turbulent world”,… pic.twitter.com/bJZWw1A5yI

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Tim Hodgson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, said India’s energy transition would require a mix of solutions in the near and medium term, creating opportunities for deeper cooperation in natural gas, nuclear fuel and critical minerals.

Renewables Face Limits Without Grid Storage

Speaking on the sidelines of India Energy Week, Hodgson said the surge in global electricity demand has underlined the challenge renewables face in delivering uninterrupted baseload power without large-scale storage infrastructure.

While renewable energy remains central to long-term decarbonisation goals, he said additional sources are needed to ensure round-the-clock supply.

Natural Gas As Near-Term Solution

Hodgson identified natural gas as the most immediate option to bridge the gap between rising demand and clean energy availability. “We’re in Canada are focused on abating natural gas. We can look at how we produce that natural gas with low methane emissions. We can look at pre-combustion sequestration. We can look at post-combustion sequestration and drive the carbon footprint of that down,” he said, describing gas as the “quickest way” to address current baseload requirements.

Nuclear Energy And Uranium Supply

He said nuclear power offers the next fastest pathway to reliable baseload energy, pointing to Canada’s leadership in the sector. Hodgson noted that Canada is building the world’s first commercial small modular reactors while also pursuing large-scale nuclear projects.

Referring to India’s plans to expand nuclear generation capacity, he added, “You’re going to need uranium to fuel those reactors, and Canada would be a wonderful source of supply for that.”

Open Trade And Global Collaboration

At the India Energy Week Strategic Conference, Hodgson also spoke on the panel titled “Charting a course through uncertainty: securing affordable, accessible and sustainable energy in a turbulent world”. He highlighted the importance of energy demand growth, open trade and international cooperation in navigating global energy challenges.

“We believe the world we want to live in is one where we're going to trade with everyone,” he said.