India, Feb. 12 -- The 30th edition of the Conference of Parties held in Belem reasserted the global push towards low-carbon alternatives, a shift now widely framed as the energy transition. For India, this transformation promises new technologies, cleaner energy systems and a reconfigured socio-economic and technical landscape. Yet beneath this optimism lies an uncomfortable continuity: the persistence of import dependence. While the fuels may change - from oil and coal to lithium, nickel and rare earths - the structural reliance on external supply chains risks remaining largely intact. The continuity becomes clearer when viewed against the backdrop of India's present energy mix and the forces shaping it.

The current landscape

Despite d...