New Delhi, May 30 -- India is among the world's fastest-growing energy investors, with solar power and oil refining driving a decade-high surge in spending, even as the West Asia crisis reshapes global energy priorities.

India's energy investment is on course to reach a record USD 170 billion in 2026, according to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) World Energy Investment 2026 report.

Investment has grown at an average annual rate of 11 per cent over the past five years, with solar PV rising 25 per cent annually and oil refining investment growing 23 per cent - together accounting for roughly a quarter of the overall increase in energy spending.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, said, "We are in the midst of the largest energy s...