Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a significant stride towards green energy growth and transition in India. During a virtual address to the G20 energy ministers, he announced the nation’s ambitious plan to achieve 50 per cent non-fossil installed capacity by 2030. The Prime Minister emphasized the crucial role of energy in shaping the future, sustainability, growth, and development of individuals and nations alike. He acknowledged that each country may have different realities and approaches to energy transition, but the shared ultimate goal is to embrace cleaner energy sources. India’s remarkable progress in fulfilling its climate commitments is commendable, especially considering its status as the world’s most populated country and the fastest-growing large economy.
PM Modi expressed his pride in India’s achievement of surpassing its non-fossil installed electric capacity target, accomplishing it nine years ahead of the initial schedule. Furthermore, he unveiled the country’s ambitious plans for the future. As the Prime Minister emphasized, India now stands among the world’s leaders in solar and wind power, showcasing its remarkable progress in adopting clean energy solutions. To demonstrate the nation’s commitment to this cause, the delegates of the Working Group were invited to visit the Pavagada Solar Park and Modhera Solar Village.
PM Modi emphasized India’s remarkable accomplishments during the past nine years. These achievements comprise connecting over 190 million households with LPG, successfully providing electricity to every village—a historic milestone, and the ongoing efforts to extend piped cooking gas access to over 90 per cent of the population in the near future. He stressed that the ultimate objective is to ensure inclusive, resilient, equitable, and sustainable energy access for all citizens.
He shared that back in 2015, India initiated a small movement with the introduction of a scheme promoting LED lights, which eventually became the world’s largest LED distribution program. This program has resulted in saving more than 45 billion units of energy annually. Additionally, he mentioned the launch of the world’s largest agricultural pump solarization initiative and India’s ambitious projection of achieving 10 million annual sales in the domestic electric vehicle market by 2030.
Moreover, the Prime Minister highlighted the rollout of 20% ethanol-blended petrol this year, intending to extend its coverage to the entire country by 2025. To achieve India’s decarbonization goals, he emphasized the country’s dedicated efforts towards green hydrogen, aiming to make it a global hub for the production, utilization, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives.
During his address to the G20 group on advancing sustainable and inclusive energy transition, PM Modi emphasized the need to involve the Global South and offer affordable finance options to developing nations. He strongly supported the idea of closing technology gaps, strengthening energy security, and broadening supply chain diversity. The Prime Minister also commended the ‘High-level Principles on Hydrogen’ as a positive step towards achieving these objectives.
To enhance energy security and foster collaboration, the Prime Minister proposed exploring the potential of transnational grid interconnections. India actively seeks to promote mutually beneficial cooperation with its neighbouring countries in this endeavour. He welcomed all participating nations to join the ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ initiative under the International Solar Alliance’s Green Grids Initiative.
In conclusion, PM Modi emphasized India’s deep-rooted wisdom in environmental stewardship and introduced Mission LiFE – Lifestyle for Environment, a movement aimed at empowering individuals to become climate champions. He reiterated the importance of safeguarding our ‘One Earth,’ looking after the interests of our ‘One Family,’ and collectively striving for a green ‘One Future’ through our thoughts and actions, regardless of the nature of our transition.
