India Gets Its First Center of Excellence for Green Port and Shipping

The first National Center of Excellence for Green Port and Shipping (NCoEGPS) in India was unveiled recently by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal. This is a significant effort on the part of the Ministry of Ports, and Shipping to provide greener solutions. The Union Minister made the revelation at INMARCO 2022, an event hosted by The Institute of Marine Engineers in Mumbai.

The center wants to promote carbon neutrality and the circular economy (CE) in India’s maritime industry by creating a legislative framework and road map for adopting alternative technologies. India wants to expand the current contribution of renewable energy—less than 10%—to 60% of the total electricity required by each of its main ports. This will be done using energy produced by the sun and the wind.

The ministry has received support for the establishment of this center from the Deendayal Port Authority Kandla, Paradip Port Authority, Paradip, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, Thoothukudi, and Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi. The project’s knowledge and execution partner is The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

By 2030, the ports also hope to cut carbon emissions from cargo handling by 30%. India has been chosen as the first nation to carry out a Green Shipping pilot project as part of the IMO Green Voyage 2050 program.

To contribute to the achievement of IMO GHG reduction targets, India will also apply IMO energy efficiency criteria for current ships and carbon intensity requirements on all its vessels, whether they are coastal or international. India already provides shore electricity to ships with power demands under 150 KW and aims to provide shore power to all incoming ships. India is actively contributing to the development of workable regulatory criteria for GHG emission reduction in line with the IMO GHG first strategy.

According to the Paris Agreement, India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) for the period 2021–2030 include the following goals: to achieve a cumulative installed capacity of about 40% of its electricity from non–fossil fuel-based energy sources by 2030 with the aid of technology transfer and low–cost international financing. With a percentage of Renewable Energy (RE) in the total Installed Capacity of more than 24.5%, India is well on its way to meeting these goals. India currently ranks fourth in the world for RE power capacity, fourth for wind power, and fifth for solar power capacity.

As a result of the Government of India’s pledge for the year 2070, all industrial sectors are working toward reaching carbon neutrality and putting CE measures into place. To attain energy and resource neutrality, the shipping industry, which is both energy and resource-heavy, also needs a road map for implementation.

Because of this, the NCoEGPS’s (National Center of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping) work will give decision-makers at the national and sub-national levels a methodology and framework for implementing carbon neutrality measures, as well as for meeting (and exceeding) their obligations under the Paris Accord through the electrification of processes, the use of renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, and other cutting-edge alternative fuel technologies, such as green fuels. The scope of work completed by NCoEGPS will also include building the skills of various stakeholders to expedite the adoption of research-identified green solutions.