Bilateral dialogue
Established in 2000, the Australia-India Joint Working Group on Energy and Minerals (JWG) remains the primary forum to discuss bilateral engagement on resources and energy related matters.
Participants in the JWG include government representatives, researchers and industry. The JWG met for the seventh time in May 2011, in Sydney, Australia. The eighth JWG is scheduled to take place in India in 2013.
Action plans
Five strategic action plans signed in 2008 between the Department for Resources, Energy and Tourism and the Indian Ministries of Coal, Mining, Petroleum and Natural Gas, New and Renewable Energy, and Power, provide a framework for cooperation on resource and energy related matters.
Work programs
Each action plan has a rolling three-year work program that supports engagement with a view to enhancing two-way trade and investment. The work programs have been effective in delivering practically focussed engagement in key sectors and are developed with input from government, researchers and industry. The work programs were reassessed and updated for 2011-14 at the seventh JWG.
The work programs for 2011-14 identified a range of areas of interest to India including:
- the hydrocarbon and non-conventional hydrocarbon sectors, natural gas infrastructure development and research and developments in deep water exploration;
- best practise coal mining safety, production technologies and training particularly in the area of underground coal mining;
- sustainable mining practises and geoscience as applied to mineral exploration; and
- renewable energy technologies and zero emission coal technology development.
Trade and investment
In 2010-11, India was Australia’s fourth largest resources and energy trading partner with resources and energy exports valued at around AUD$14.6 billion.
In 2010-11 India was Australia’s: third largest export market for energy and non-energy mineral commodities; principal export market for gold; second-largest export market for metallurgical coal; and third largest export market for non-energy minerals.