16. Reconfiguring Energy Geopolitics Through the Biofuel Alliance: India–Africa Partnerships for Socio-Ecological Resilience and Sustainable Quality of Life

Today, access to energy is critical to sustaining growth and development in each country of this planet. If any government fails to supply, it could be disentangled, be it an authoritarian regime or a democratic one, as people are now more aware, demanding, and desirous. Because of all these reasons, the energy providers gain political power. Buyers must compete for supplies, prices, energy providers’ wealth, and the capacity to perform regional and international political roles. With global climate change, these conventional considerations of global energy politics became more complicated. The fragility of international oil and gas markets, energy security, and climate change attracted global attention to nonrenewable energy resources and Africa and Asia as a new landscape of energy politics. In this direction, the Global Biofuel Alliance was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 9, 2023, during the G20 summit. According to the International Energy Agency, biofuels will very soon play an important role in decarbonizing different sectors. Africa is well known for its biofuel potential. Biofuels are an alluring alternate energy option because they are renewable and have the potential to lower carbon emissions and environmental impacts while also reducing import dependence. Considering these prospective benefits, India also outlined a broad strategy for the biofuels program and policy measures to support the program. In this background, this study reconfigures global energy geopolitics through the Biofuel Alliance, especially in India and Africa, by situating them in global energy diversification politics.