New Delhi: India and the UK on Monday reviewed progress made in the energy sectors of both nations, including power and renewable energy, and reaffirmed the commitment to a sustainable, resilient and inclusive energy future.
The ‘Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue’, co-chaired by Manohar Lal, Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs, and Ed Miliband, Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero for United Kingdom, underscored the importance of ensuring that the energy transition and economic growth proceed together, while maintaining affordable and clean energy access for all.
The ministers underscored the importance of ensuring energy security and sustainable development and emphasised expanding the cooperation in the areas of power distribution, sector reforms, industrial energy efficiency and de-carbonisation, and electric mobility while exploring new opportunities in the emerging fields such as energy storage, green data centres and offshore wind, with an increased focus on MSMEs.
They announced the launch of Phase-2 of the India-UK bilateral Accelerating Smart Power and Renewable Energy in India (ASPIRE) programme.
This phase will aim to provide technical support for ensuring round-the-clock power supply, expanding renewable energy initiatives, and accelerating industrial energy efficiency and de-carbonisation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Power (MOP) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
They also discussed the progress of trade missions focusing on offshore wind and green hydrogen, as well as the cooperation between the UK’s Energy Systems Catapult and India’s Power Trading Corporation.
Recognising the shared ambition for advancing offshore wind development, the ministers announced the establishment of a UK-India Offshore Wind Taskforce, which will focus on advancing offshore wind ecosystem development, supply chains, and financing models in both countries.
Miliband commended India’s ambitious initiatives in the renewable energy sector and shown a strong interest in gaining insights from India’s experience in implementing the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
The ministers agreed on the importance of power market regulations in driving the energy transition and ensuring greater energy security and access.
To support this, they announced the continuation of the Power Sector Reforms programme under the UK Partnering for Accelerating Climate Change (UKPACT).
Additionally, a new taskforce has been proposed between the UK’s Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) and India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to support renewable energy integration and grid transformation in India.
(IANS)
