India, EU agree enhanced energy tech cooperation

India-EU Energy Panel met wherein the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas from the Indian side and Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission from the EU side participated and jointly agreed on a detailed work programme until 2023, to implement the 2016 India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership.

The Energy Panel was co-chaired by Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and Ms Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Deputy Director-General for Energy, European Commission.

The Energy Panel agreed on increased technical cooperation in the area of energy efficiency, including on nearly zero energy buildings, smart readiness indicators for buildings; renewable energy, including floating solar, thermal solar and offshore wind; cooperation within the International Solar Alliance; green hydrogen; grid integration, including smart grids, storage, power market design, interconnection, cold chain, and sustainable financing. As part of this strengthened cooperation, India and the EU will undertake new studies, study visits and joint workshops, exchanging knowledge and best practices on these areas.

The Panel welcomed the fact that more and more EU Member States are joining the International Solar Alliance. The EU recently funded an approximately 1 million Euro project, intending to strengthen further the engagement of EU, its Member States, and its academic, business and financial communities with the International Solar Alliance.

The EU also expressed its support for the close cooperation between India and the International Energy Agency. India and the EU also agreed to exchange closely on clean energy in the frame of the G20.