India needs to pump more of its desert oil, say industry players

Barmer, India

THE deserts of Rajasthan may be the showcase for India's solar revolution but the oil explorer that struck gold beneath the same sands insists the country needs to pump out more fossil fuels to wean itself off imports.

Ahead of this month's climate negotiations in Paris, India sought to deflect criticism by pointing to the solar panels and wind turbines sprouting across the sparsely-populated state.

Yet deep in the desert, and less well-publicised, are four oil fields operated by an offshoot of Scotland-based Cairn Energy that churn out nearly a quarter of all domestic crude.

Each day the world's longest heated pipeline funnels 176,000 barrels from the remote Barmer region near …