By Bhagyasree Sengupta

Over the years, Brics, which started with five nations, has become an economic and geopolitical powerhouse. The group that started with five nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has not only opened its doors to the other nations, but managed to build a self-reliant entity amid a turbulent world order.

Brics now represent nearly half the world’s population and over 40 per cent of global GDP. In recent years, the bloc has expanded its membership and is shaping global energy and infrastructure dynamics.

On the second day of the Raisina Dialogue 2026, a panel of eminent experts sat down to discuss how Brics can transform these challenges into opportunities for coordinated investment, supply chain integration, and regional leadership, positioning itself as critical for the Global South’s energy future.

Before the discussion on the topic, Shambhu Hakki, Sous Sherpa Brics, Ministry of External Affairs, India, emphasised that as the group celebrates its 20th anniversary, the need for greater cooperation becomes important.

The speakers at the thought-provoking pannel discussion included: Abdeta D. Beyene, Executive Director Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation, Ethiopia, Renato Galvão Flôres, Director of the International Intelligence Unit of Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Brazil, Aisha Rasyidila Kusumasomantri, Co-Director for Partnership and External Engagement as well as Head of Government Task Force, ISI Indonesia, Indonesia, Tan Ya, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Department of Energy and Low Carbon Economics, School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China and Victoria Panova, Head, Brics Expert Council; Vice Rector, HSE University; Russian W20 Sherpa, Russia.

Conversation between the old and the new

The session started with a delegation from Brics’s newly added members, Ethiopia and Indonesia, and expectations from the group. Beyene started his assessment by emphasising that “Brics is not only a bloc, but it’s a reality of the global economy.”

He admitted that being part of the body has “development leverage for Ethiopial. However, he also explained that the biggest challenge the African nation is facing is navigating the energy grid rivers that are trans border. “We need energy diplomacy,” he remarked. However, he admitted that Brics comprises “competing geopolitical actors and hence solidarity on all issues can not be accepted.

Meanwhile, Kusumasomantri, the Indonesian delegation, emphasised that the world is expected to face an energy crisis given the situation in West Asia and if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. “This is a good time to build energy resilience. While integrated energy is crucial, diversity creates its potential,” she said.

She emphasised that the body should see “Infrastructure as an investment for the future”, and called for the need for “flexible financing mechanisms.”

Geopolitical fragmentation spurring Brics to greater action

Tan Ya, the professor from China, pointed to the need for self-reliance. “A lot of new energy leaders exist within BRICS. Every developing country should know their own capacity and find its own path,” she said, adding that each economy in the group is in “a different stage of development.”

Tan Ya admitted that over the years the bloc has made significant progress, pointing out how the New Development Bank “not only issues loans to member states but also to other states in need.” However, she called for the need to build supply chain links. “Oil and gas remain central in the global economy, and it centres on great rivalry. Hence, global energy transition rules are uncertain,” she said.

When asked about the challenges, the delegation from China noted that the American tariffs “developed economic trade barriers harder for developing countries to export and import.” This, she said, eventually led the “Global South to raise trading barriers, which is understandable in the current global environment.”

While talking about global fragmentation, Flôres, the Brazilian delegation, noted that Brics is a “complementary and odd group with different objectives.” He emphasised that “peace is the rule of human relations, not killing and not war. There is a need “to mobilise the whole group or collaborate with the sub-group.”

Three things to focus on in terms of energy transition

During the panel discussion, Flôres mentioned that the group needs to focus on three things to ensure energy reliance. They are as follows:

1 Common policy regarding fossil fuels

Flôres started by admitting that fossil fuels continue to remain a “very important source of energy”. In light of this, the Brazilian delegation emphasised that “low-grade oil refining is very important and the technology of refining is the shortcoming we have”.

2 Emphasis on renewable energy

While the Brazilian delegation noted that fossil fuels are crucial, it maintained that the bloc should also put emphasis on renewable energy. He called for a preferential agreement within the Brics and provided political support to member states, which can be crucial in these circumstances.

3 Need to develop a robust infrastructure

Flôres also spoke about the need to create robust infrastructure for better connectivity among member-states. He took the example of how “nearly all of the Brics nations still need basic sewage systems”. He also touched upon the need to create a digital galaxy. “Brics must increase autonomy, knowledge and production of the grid,” he said, adding that the group needs to be more active in this regard.

Challenges of the mobilisation of Brics

While sharing her take on the matter, Panova from Russia laid out the challenges of mobilisation of Brics nations, stating that member-states tend to have different stances on the matter and are also geographically far away from each other.

However, she painted an optimistic picture of what lies ahead. When asked about the looming energy crisis due to the situation in West Asia, Panova emphasised that the world “has witnessed such a situation before”. “We have a situation where different worlds clash, and demand and supply issues start to crop up,” she said.

However, the Russian delegation noted the achievements of the group even in such a situation, such as the establishment of the World Development Bank. “We should take lessons from history. In fact, I am proud of Brics and how it has operated. But we will have to make our research and approaches more visible,” she said. “We are not creating alternative institutions, we are creating complementary organisations. Hence, more visibility is needed for what Brics is doing, she concluded.

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