India is set to store up to 30 million barrels of UAE crude oil in its Strategic Petroleum Reserves a significant expansion of the two countries’ energy partnership announced Friday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi.
The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed off on a Strategic Collaboration Agreement between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. The deal scales up Abu Dhabi’s existing participation in India’s reserve infrastructure.
Both leaders also flagged the Strait of Hormuz directly calling for “safe transit passage and unimpeded navigation” through the waterway a pointed signal given the ongoing regional conflict threatening key shipping lanes in West Asia.
Energy was the centrepiece of the visit. India and the UAE agreed to explore strategic gas reserves on Indian soil, and Indian Oil Corporation finalised a separate long-term LPG supply arrangement with ADNOC. The MEA called the UAE “an important partner in India’s energy security” and said both sides would pursue broader cooperation across crude oil, LNG and LPG.
Modi condemned attacks on the UAE during the talks and reaffirmed India’s solidarity with Abu Dhabi’s leadership, the MEA said.
Beyond oil and gas, the visit produced USD 5 billion in UAE investment commitments covering banking, infrastructure and finance, alongside new agreements in defence, maritime cooperation, shipbuilding and advanced computing.