India & IRENA Forge Partnership to Spur Renewable Energy

Scaling up renewable energy investments in West Africa

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy  has entered into a strategic partnership with International Renewable Energy Agency. The partnership will pave the path for the development of renewable energy.

The signatories for said the agreement between India and IRENA were Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Secretary, Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi and IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera. The agreement was signed at the 12th IRENA Assembly in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

India boasts of tremendous potential for renewable energy and has set sights on producing green hydrogen on a massive scale on the path of decarbonisation. As per IRENA, “Hydrogen will account for around 12 per cent of total energy supply in a 1.5°C world by 2050.”

Secretary Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi stated, “India’s commitment for the cause of renewables is very well known and our record speaks for itself.” He also said that India hoped for  “full use of the strategic partnership agreement and draw fully upon the expertise of IRENA in the area of renewable energy.”

“India is a renewable energy powerhouse and a country whose energy transition actions speak louder than their words,” Francesco La Camera IRENA Director-General said while concluding, “As a key global actor in the shift to renewables and a founding member of IRENA, India has played a major role in international energy cooperation. This partnership represents a new chapter in an already strong relationship as the country looks to advance its transition and capitalise on emerging new technologies.”

The partnership will make it possible for IRENA for knowledge sharing from India on the augmentation of renewable energy and clean energy technologies while also giving an impetus to India’s decarbonisation goals by way of the development of Green Hydrogen.

India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission is a significant initiative that looks to facilitate the production, storage, distribution, and technologies relates to Green Hydrogen. Recently, the government’s Green Hydrogen Mission for India got a shot in the arm with the formal approval of Rs 17,490 crore for the same by the Union cabinet.