India, Norway agree to 'green strategic partnership'

OSLO: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Norwegian counterpart agreed Monday to a “green strategic partnership” deal aimed at promoting a clean-energy transition and sustainable development.

“From clean energy to climate resilience, from the blue economy to green shipping, in every sector, India’s scale, speed and talent will combine with Norway’s technology and capital, and our companies will develop global solutions,” Modi said on the first day of a two-day visit to the Norwegian capital.

India, the world’s third-largest importer of oil, has seen its supplies severely disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the war in the Middle East.

Roughly half of India’s crude imports usually pass through the strait.

After announcing a cut in fuel taxes to curb a surge in prices at the pump, the country – where 73 percent of electricity generation currently comes from coal-fired power plants – has announced it will speed up approvals for wind power plants and battery-powered energy storage systems.

Meanwhile Norway, Europe’s largest oil and gas producer excluding Russia, derives almost all of its electricity from renewable sources, primarily hydroelectric facilities.

The new partnership is “beneficial for the entire world”, Modi said in a statement to the press.

His Norwegian host, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, told broadcaster NRK that India had “a lot to contribute” on the matter.

“The country is currently making significant progress in the fields of renewable energy, solar, wind, and energy storage technologies,” he said.

This is the first visit to Norway by an Indian prime minister since Indira Gandhi in 1983.

The two countries have also signed partnership agreements in the fields of health and digital technology.

They have boosted their economic ties since the entry into force in October 2025 of a free-trade agreement between the Asian giant and the member countries of the European Free Trade Association (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein).

“Whether in Ukraine or West Asia, many parts of the world are witnessing conflict. In such a situation, India and Europe are entering a new golden era in their relations,” Modi said.

The Indian leader, who arrived from Sweden in the morning, was to take part in a Norway-India business conference in the afternoon.

On Tuesday, he is due to meet with the heads of government of the Nordic countries and participate in the third Nordic-India summit, before winding up his European tour with a visit to Italy.