Indo-French Workshop for Transition to EVs & Strengthening Bilateral Ties on Energy

India-France bilateral relations for clean energy transition

The Indo-French Workshop on Clean and Sustainable Energy Technologies (INFINITE) has been launched at New Delhi’s CSIR National Physical Laboratory. The Secretary of Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, inaugurated the workshop being held from February 21 to 24, 2023.

On the platform, India spoke about greater cooperation with France in the areas of clean energy. The occasion was also used to underline the plans of New Delhi about green transition to electric vehicles and hydrogen energy.

The Secretary shared that the government is aiming to install 100 GW of solar energy. He added that the Thar Desert holds potential for solar power generation and is projected for generating 2,100 GW of solar energy. Thar, the world’s 9th-largest hot subtropical desert, is an arid region situated in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. Making use of the arid resource, solar power can be generated sustainably.

He also touched upon India’s initiative- National Biofuel Policy that looks to achieve a 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and a 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030. He also conveyed that the Government introduced policies, and created a liberal environment to lure foreign investments, all with a view to accelerate India’s participation in the renewable energy market.

“I hope the process and technologies that will be discussed in this workshop will be of enormous potential in mitigating the impact of climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he concluded.

The Indo-French workshop unites thought leaders, researchers, policymakers and think tanks from India and France to facilitate the barter of knowledge and practices on clean and sustainable energy technologies.

The CEO of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Antoine Petit, applauded the strong partnership between the India and France while stressing on the significance of joining hands to enable a sustainable energy transition that can be realised through new bilateral programmes.