India and Mauritius Ink Oil and Gas Cooperation Pact

India and Mauritius have strengthened their energy partnership through a new cooperation pact. On August 20, Indian Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri visited Mauritius to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with his Mauritian counterpart. The MoU covers cooperation in the oil and gas sector, including petroleum product supplies, training for Mauritian officials, and biofuels.

The pact also marks the launch of a long-term sales and purchase agreement between Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Mauritius' State Trading Corporation (STC). Under this deal, IOCL will supply all of Mauritius' import requirements of Motor Spirit (MS), High Speed Diesel (HSD), and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).

This cooperation is seen as a significant step in India's growing role as an energy supplier. With 23 refineries producing over 267 million metric tonnes of petroleum products annually, India has emerged as a major global refining hub.