Tuesday 22 / September / 2026
Canberra: Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will travel to India and Saudi Arabia this week to strengthen Australia’s fuel security and work with international partners on global energy security, the Australian Government’s Ministry for Climate Change and Energy said in a press release on Tuesday.
In India, Bowen will meet his ministerial counterparts and visit the Jamnagar oil refinery in Gujarat, called by the ministry as the world’s largest oil refinery.
He will also convene a roundtable with clean energy industry representatives and deliver a speech on electrification ahead of COP31, highlighting the importance of renewables to future global energy security and improving resilience to supply and price shocks caused by international disruptions, the ministry said.
Bowen will then travel to Saudi Arabia for direct discussions with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud on the evolving situation overseas, including the closure of the East-West pipeline and its implications for global energy security.
The Australian minister will also visit King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies, highlighting the importance of electrification in future energy security, a key priority for COP31.
“What we are seeing in the Middle East is deeply concerning, and it is more important than ever that Australia engages with other nations on global energy security and fuel security back home, in our national interest,” Bowen said, according to the ministry press release.
“That is why this week I will travel first to India, where I will meet Minister Yadav and visit the Jamnagar oil refinery in Gujarat, before travelling to Saudi Arabia for direct discussions with Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud,” he said.
“Australia’s fuel supply remains secure and our strong relationships with international partners are an essential part of that work,” Bowen added.
The ministry said Australia’s ongoing international engagement would help deliver energy security both domestically and abroad, strengthened through the country’s role in leading negotiations at COP31.
