India’s Minister for New, Renewable Energy and Power, R K Singh, has commended the country’s cooperation with the UAE in the field of renewable energy. Speaking in the upper chamber of the Indian Parliament, Singh highlighted discussions on promoting cooperation with the UAE in the green hydrogen development spectrum, with potential for investments in both countries.
While acknowledging that electricity is a concurrent subject in India, and the supply or distribution of electricity to rural areas falls under the purview of state governments and state power utilities, Singh noted that the government of India has complemented state efforts through various schemes. He added that bilateral cooperation in renewable energy, similar to that with the UAE, is being encouraged with Australia, Finland and Germany, all of which have successful initiatives in renewable power.
Singh also reported that as of 28th April 2018, all inhabited villages in India as per the 2011 national census had been electrified. This was achieved through the Ministry of Power’s Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and the Integrated Power Development Scheme, among other programs.
The Ministry of External Affairs in India highlighted the country’s leading role in developing renewables at low costs and moving towards a strong relationship with the UAE in the field of renewable energy. The UAE is also investing in India’s renewable energy sector, with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and Masdar forming a joint venture with India’s Hero Future Energies to develop clean energy projects.
The cooperation between India and the UAE in renewable energy aligns with their commitments to the Paris Agreement on climate change, with both countries pledging to increase their share of renewables in their energy mix. India aims to install 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, including 100 GW of solar, and the UAE aims to have 50% of its energy mix generated from renewables by 2050.
India has made significant progress in its renewable energy capacity in recent years, with renewable energy accounting for 24% of the country’s installed power capacity in 2021. The country is also leading in the development of green hydrogen, with plans to establish a National Hydrogen Energy Mission to promote green hydrogen production and use.
Overall, India’s cooperation with the UAE in the renewable energy sector is a positive step towards achieving their goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing their share of renewables in their energy mix.
