The 7th edition of the international conference “Shaping the Energy Future: Challenges and Opportunities” (SEFCO-2025) was inaugurated on 23 April 2025 at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), Dehradun. Organised by students and young scientists at CSIR-IIP, SEFCO serves as a dynamic platform for dialogue and collaboration in the energy and chemical sectors. This year’s conference, themed “Catalysing a Sustainable Future with Affordable Energy and Chemicals,” was inaugurated by Chief Guest Prof. K.K. Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee, and Guest of Honour Shri Alok Sharma, Director (R&D), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. Dr. Manoj Srivastava, SEFCO 2025 Secretary, provided an overview of the conference’s journey since its inception in 2017. Dr. Harender Singh Bisht, Director of CSIR-IIP and Chief Patron of SEFCO, welcomed the delegates and highlighted the institute’s ongoing contributions to sustainable energy research. In his keynote address, Prof. Pant emphasised the importance of innovative and scalable pathways for green energy and chemicals, urging young researchers to approach challenges with out-of-the-box thinking. Shri Sharma, in his address, outlined the measures adopted by Indian refineries to align with the Government of India’s net-zero target for 2070. The three-day event features expert talks by leading national and international researchers, including Prof. Paul A. Webley (Monash University, Australia), Dr. Richard Blom (SINTEF, Norway), Prof. Samira Siahrostami (Simon Fraser University, Canada), Prof. Keiichi Tomishige (Tohoku University, Japan), and Prof. Eric van Steen (University of Cape Town, South Africa). Over 300 delegates from academia, research institutes, and industry are participating. A special exhibition also showcases CSIR-IIP’s technological breakthroughs. The event is supported by major organisations such as ONGC, EIL, IOCL, BPCL, GAIL, AIRBUS, and others, underlining its significance in shaping the global energy discourse