Energy use in non-OECD Asia, led by China and India, is growing faster than anywhere else in the world – it will more than double between 1990 and 2035,  according to a report by the US Energy Information Administration published in April.

But how will India deal with escalating demand? A separate report by Bernstein Research, a US asset management company, suggests it will struggle to do so, as price-capping measures stifle private investment in natural gas.

India’s imports of natural gas are set to grow by 139 per cent in the next five years from 1.4m cubic metres per hour in 2010 to 3.4m cubic metres per hour by 2015, according to J P Morgan. The bank says Indian production will grow by 90 per cent over the same period, leaving the country with a natural gas shortage.