Mumbai, October 25, 2005: CNBC-TV18 together with Sun Microsystems held a special discussion in Mumbai on solutions for the ever-increasing energy demands. The topic for discussion - ‘Energy Crisis: Is there a way out?’ brought together expert analysts and company heads who explored alternative fuel sources and strategies to curb the rising oil prices.

The interactive discussion on ‘Energy Crisis: Is there a way out?’ is a topic of great relevance due to the growing population and increasing consumerism that have placed enormous demands on the energy sector in India. Among the greatest problems facing countries all over the world, is the issue of rising oil prices. The oil prices, which have risen meteorically in a short span of time are set to become dearer and experts predict that it may even touch the $100 barrel mark in the near future from the recent $70 per barrel where it stood last. This spiraling oil price has made the entire world sit up and look at options to solve this diverse crisis.

Recognizing the enormity of the situation, CNBC-TV18 – India’s premier business channel, through this special discussion explored various aspects pertaining to Energy crisis and attempted to find ways to effectively deal with this problem. Areas of discussion varied from the impact of crude prices on the GDP, to the sustainable growth strategies for accelerating business efficiency and warding off environmental pressures to how car manufacturers can help tackle this problem.

The panelists at the forum included D K Deshpande, Executive Director,
Refineries, HPCL, Pramod Deo, Chairman, Maharashtra
Electricity Regulatory Commission, Gautam Sen, Executive Director, Chief Offshore Exploration & Development, ONGC, Seshan Balakrishnan, Head, Power Practice, CRISIL Ltd, S.K. Joshi, Executive Director, Corporate Finance, BPCL, and Nick Weston, Director, Strategy, Oil & Gas who assessed and provided feasible and sustainable solutions to the situation as it stands today.

About CNBC-TV18:
CNBC-TVI8 is India's No.1 business medium. CNBC Asia Pacific holds a strategic equity stake in the Indian registered broadcaster; Television 18. CNBC-TV18 is the undisputed leader in the business. The channel's benchmark coverage extends from corporate news, financial markets coverage, expert perspective on investing and management to industry verticals and beyond. CNBC-TV18 has been constantly innovating with new genres of programming that helps make business more relevant to different constituencies across India. CNBC-TV18 is currently available in over 26 million households in India.

For further information contact:
Janice/ Lorraine
Hanmer & Partners
Te: 5633 5969