IEA India Lead Analyst Dsouza Researches Fossil Fuel Transition Barriers

Swati Dsouza, an energy analyst with over eight years of sector experience and a role as India lead analyst and coordinator at the International Energy Agency, focuses on the intersection of energy transition and climate policy in emerging economies. Her research spans coal dependency mapping, oil and gas market analysis, and rural energy transition challenges in India.

Dsouza led a national-level study at the National Foundation for India examining coal dependency across mining, transport, power, iron and steel, and brick sectors, with detailed analysis of the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. At Brookings India, now the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, she led research on oil and gas and co-edited a book titled The Next Stop: Natural Gas and India's Journey to a Clean Energy Future, which mapped a roadmap for increasing gas consumption in India.

Her prior work at The Energy and Resources Institute covered fossil fuels and electricity sector transitions to renewable energy in India. Dsouza's focus on coal dependency in India's eastern states is significant for the energy transition, as Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha are among the most coal-intensive states in the country and face the sharpest socioeconomic disruption from any accelerated coal phase-out. Her multilingual capacity, including Hindi, Marathi, and Tamil, supports engagement with affected communities.

Dsouza's current dual role at the IEA as India lead analyst positions her at the centre of international policy discussions on India's energy trajectory, a country that accounts for a growing share of global energy demand. Her background bridges academic policy analysis and media experience, having worked as a producer and reporter for a business news channel. Her research addresses the particular challenges facing fossil fuel-dependent emerging economies in managing a just and financially viable energy transition.

Key figure — 3 states — Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, analysed in Dsouza's national coal dependency study