India PM Modi says encouraging response to global grid proposal

July 22, 2023 2:35 pm

BAMBOLIM, India July 22 (Reuters) – India has had an “encouraging” response from other countries to its proposal to build a transnational grid to enhance energy security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

“We are promoting this mutually beneficial cooperation with our neighbors in this region. And I can tell you, we are seeing encouraging results,” Modi told G20 group energy ministers.

He pointed out that the pathways to energy transition are different given our different realities, however, the goals are still the same.

Top quotes from PM Modi’s address at G20 energy ministers’ meet:

No talk about the future, sustainability or growth and development can be complete without energy. It impacts development at all levels from individuals to nations.

We (India) are moving strongly on our climate commitments. India has shown leadership in climate action. We achieved our non-fossil installed capacity target nine years in advance. We have now set a higher target and we plan to achieve 50% non-fossil installed capacity by 2030.

India is also among the global leaders in solar and wind power.

In India, we have connected more than 190 million families with LPG in the last nine years. We have also achieved the historic milestone of connecting every village to electricity.

Our effort is to work for inclusive, resilient, equitable and sustainable energy for all. In 2015, we began a small movement by launching a scheme for the use of LED lights. This became the largest LED distribution programme in the world, saving us more than 45 billion units of energy per year.

India’s domestic electric vehicle market is projected to reach 10 million annual sales by 2030. We have commenced the rolling out of 20% ethanol-blended petrol this year and our aim is to cover the entire country by 2025.

For de-carbonising India, we are working on a mission-mode on green hydrogen as an alternative. The aim is to make India a global hub for the production, use and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives. We are happy to share our learnings.

We must ensure low-cost finance for developing countries. We must find ways to breach technology gaps, promote energy security and work on diversified supply chains.

We must strengthen collaboration on the fuels for future. The high-level principles on hydrogen are a step in the right direction.

Realising the vision of interconnected green grids can be transforming.

It will enable to meet our climate goals, stimulate green investment and create millions of green jobs. I invite you all to join the ‘green grids initiative’ – one sun, one world, one grid of International Solar Alliance.