New Delhi, August 22, 2026: India and Mauritius have taken steps to strengthen bilateral energy cooperation following an official visit by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri to Mauritius from August 20 to 21. The visit resulted in agreements aimed at ensuring reliable petroleum supplies to Mauritius while expanding cooperation in oil, gas and biofuels.
During the visit, Shri Puri met Mauritius Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam on August 20. In their presence, India and Mauritius exchanged a Government-to-Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on oil and gas cooperation. A separate five-year Sales and Purchase Agreement was signed between Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and the State Trading Corporation (STC) of Mauritius for the supply of petroleum products.
Under the long-term agreement, IOCL will meet Mauritius’ entire import requirement for Motor Spirit (MS), High Speed Diesel (HSD) and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). The arrangement is expected to provide Mauritius with greater certainty of supply and reduce its exposure to international price volatility. It also represents one of the first long-term overseas supply arrangements by an Indian public-sector oil marketing company outside South Asia in recent years.
The broader oil and gas MoU establishes an institutional framework for continued cooperation between the two countries. It covers petroleum product supplies, capacity building and training for Mauritian officials, as well as collaboration in biofuels. The agreements are intended to reinforce the longstanding energy relationship between India and Mauritius and create opportunities for deeper technical and commercial cooperation.
During his visit, Shri Puri held bilateral discussions with Mauritius’ Minister of Energy and Public Utilities Patrick Gervais Assirvaden, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection John Michaël Tzoun Sao Yeung Sik Yuen, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Dhananjay Ramful. He also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a 27.5 thousand metric tonne (TMT) bunker marine fuel storage facility being developed by India Oil (Mauritius) Ltd. at Mer Rouge in Port Louis.
The agreements further enhance India’s position as a reliable energy partner in the Indian Ocean region. With 23 refineries and annual refined petroleum product output of around 267 million tonnes (MMT), India has emerged as a major global refining centre and a net exporter of refined petroleum products. The country already supplies petroleum products to neighbouring countries including Nepal and Bhutan, and has continued to meet its regional supply commitments despite disruptions arising from the West Asia crisis.
Biofuels form another important component of the strengthened partnership. Mauritius is a founding member of the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA), an initiative launched during India’s G20 Presidency. The GBA Secretariat has been working with Mauritius’ Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities on a Biofuels Country Landscape Policy framework to support the country’s energy transition.
Shri Puri and Minister Assirvaden jointly witnessed the launch of the Biofuels Country Landscape Policy framework on August 21. The initiative is expected to provide a foundation for Mauritius to explore the wider use of biofuels while benefiting from knowledge sharing, research, training and technical cooperation with India.
The latest agreements are expected to give a new dimension to India-Mauritius energy relations, positioning India as a dependable long-term fuel supplier while expanding cooperation in emerging areas such as biofuels and strengthening India’s strategic and economic engagement across the Indian Ocean.
