UK, India agree ambitious collaboration on clean energy

Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh on Friday met UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to discuss strengthening collaboration on accelerating the move to global clean energy in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference (UN COP26) in November.

Taking place just three weeks ahead of the UN COP26 conference, both ministers celebrated collaborative progress made since the first and second Dialogues in 2017 and 2018.

"As we gear up to host the UN COP26 summit next month, today the UK and India have made important progress in outlining how this deep partnership can continue to deliver green growth for both countries powered by clean energy," Kwarteng said after the meeting.

"Supporting the move to clean energy is a shared priority, and our new joint programme on smart power, renewable energy and storage will help to increase investment in renewable projects, while creating new high skilled jobs across both nations as we build back greener," he added.

Both sides also highlighted India's advancement of solar energy to power the Indian Railways and welcomed close collaboration through the India-led International Solar Alliance, which aims to mobilise more than USD 1 trillion of investments in solar energy by 2030.

"Action on climate change is a central pillar of the 2030 Roadmap agreed by Prime Ministers Modi and Johnson. The Energy Dialogue today advanced our joint agenda to develop clean energy to support sustainable growth for both our economies," UK High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said.

The ministers also discussed the importance of a strong renewable energy sector for being the cornerstone in building a secure energy system.

As per an official statement from British High Commission in India, both partners also discussed how COP26 is an opportunity to show global leadership on clean energy, including the expected launch of 'Global Green Grids, One Sun One World One Grid Initiative' by both countries.

"This initiative will bring together an international coalition of national governments, financial organisations, and power system operators to accelerate the construction of new infrastructure needed to deliver a massive scale-up of secure, reliable and affordable power, such as modern, flexible grids, charging points, and electricity interconnections," said the statement.

Cementing their commitment to longer term collaboration, the Ministers also endorsed an ambitious forward action plan on clean energy, including boosting renewable energy and storage, improving energy efficiency measures, enabling production and use of green hydrogen, and increasing the switch to electric mobility.

"Their first action on this agenda is to initiate a joint programme on smart power, renewable energy and storage. In addition to providing a springboard for India's renewable energy market in areas such as offshore wind, the programme will help to create digital solutions for power distribution companies, improving industrial energy efficiency, and boosting electric mobility in ways that maximise business opportunities and investments," the statement added.

( With inputs from ANI )

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