On July 23, 2018, Sharnoff’s Global Views interviewed Satyendra Tripathi, a Senior Research Fellow at India Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank.
Tripathi is the author of Bharat Sutra: Reflections on Emergence of a Nation after 2014 General Elections. His area of interests includes climate security, water security, and International Relations with an emphasis on the Indian Ocean region.
SGV: India has the second largest population in the world. What are its biggest challenges and opportunities to satisfy its energy needs?
ST: Rapid economic, social and demographic growth has put an immense pressure on India’s energy consumption pattern. With the consumption of 4.4 percent of the world’s total energy production, India has become the third largest consumer of energy in the world.
As per the latest indicators, India has surpassed France in its economic growth, thus having both a direct and an indirect impact on the energy consumption pattern. We have the technology and ability to produce energy from different sources ranging from renewables such as solar, wind and geothermal to non-renewables like coal.
However, 59 percent of our needs are still met by the production from only coal. This imbalance in the consumption pattern forces us to be dependent on coal imports to satisfy a great deal of the escalating needs and exposes India to greater vulnerabilities of energy imports.
The Indian government is concerned with this growing trade imbalance and has drafted policies to cut coal imports and increase domestic production. The government also has plans to reduce overall energy imports by as much as up to 10 percent by 2022 and decrease it by 50 percent by 2030. Though ambitious, the target is achievable.
Moving ahead with its bid to insist on sustainable development and adopting clean energy production, the Indian government is introducing policies to increase the use of renewable resources as means of energy production.
India plans to secure 100 GW of solar energy and 60 WG of wind power by 2022. This includes an investment of 100 billion in infrastructural capacity development of renewable energy and 50 billion for a grid upgrade.
These initiatives seek to fulfill the following goals:
- Provide a cleaner and greener environment for successive generations
- Satisfy India’s burgeoning energy demand
- Accelerate India’s economic development
SGV: Describe India’s relationship with the other BRICS nations. Can India use its influence in this association to enhance its energy requirements?
ST: India’s relationship with the other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations aims to counter the menace of growing injustice and marginalization of developing nations. This was the time when all five members of the BRICS were going through a transitional period of increased public expectations, escalating economic growth, aspirational youth and an urge for development. While the countries came together to counter the geopolitical dominance of the western world, sustained economic prosperity among the members both bilaterally and multilaterally, topped the agenda.
India has a history of sharing not only its maritime trade but also cultural and civilization values with African nations which made the alliance unique for the two countries. Over the years, India ended up building strong bilateral and multilateral relations with the BRICS members while also using the opportunity to condense its disputes and mistrust with China. Therefore, the foundation of this alliance was laid on such virtues of trust and cooperation among the member nations.
Through the building of an energy security network, the ties are bound to get deeper and more meaningful. All the member nations accept the need to institutionalize energy policy and recognize the need to formalize an alternative energy system. Thus, the energy requirements and distribution of India and all the other members can also be enhanced. For example, India’s bid at the International Solar Alliance and the growing insistence on looking at renewable energy resources to meet the increasing energy demands can serve as a guide for the other BRICS nations.
SGV: What is India’s attitude toward China’s One Belt, One Road initiative?
ST: India has strong reservations over China’s ambitious One Belt, One Road project, and for good reason. No country would accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity. India’s leadership has suggested that such initiatives should be based on globally recognized values of acceptance of international norms, practices of good governance, the superiority of the rule of law, openness, transparency, and equality.
At all times, such projects should be weighed on the scale of their financial viability, financial accountability, environmental sustainability, transparency and use of technology.
SGV: Can you explain Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious 2022 renewable energy vision? What are its goals? Will India be able to meet its goals?
ST: It was on India’s initiative that the International Solar Alliance was introduced at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Indian Prime Minister Modi said it then and has reiterated it often that his vision for 2022, is very precise. He aims for the country to be able to generate at least 175 GW of electricity from renewable resources out of which 100 GW should be produced from only solar energy.
An articulation of his vision is Atal Jyoti Yojana, a scheme rolled out by India’s center-right National Democratic Alliance coalition named after former Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Modi aims to replace all the streets lamps placed along the periphery of the road with solar-powered lamps.
Apart from this, the government’s replacement of 28 crore old bulbs and electrical fittings with low energy consuming LED bulbs, has saved 2 billion and 4 GW of electricity since 2015. The move did not only help in the reduction of electricity consumption but also led to a decrease in the carbon dioxide emission to the extent of 30 million tons.
Another brilliant example of India’s bid on moving towards clean energy has been the distribution of LPG cylinders to poor households under a plan by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas called Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. Ever since the rollout of this scheme, 35 million LPG cylinders have been distributed with a long-term goal of distributing 80 million of these by 2022.
Prime Minister Modi has a very clear vision of making India an energy surplus country. This will occur by increasing production capacities, and by plugging leakages by using energy efficient equipment.
Addressing the 16th International Energy forum, Modi said, “Given global uncertainties, India also needs energy security. My vision for India’s energy future has 4 pillars – energy access, energy efficiency, energy sustainability and energy security.”
Therefore, India needs increased energy availability and energy which is accessible and affordable to the poor. We in India believe in an integrated approach towards energy planning and our agenda is inclusive, market-based and climate-sensitive.
We are adamant about achieving the vision that we adopt. And at the same time, we are sensitive to the needs of nature. We believe in nurturing of nature and not in neglecting it in our bid for development.
As for the last part of your question, if we continue with the pace with which we have started, which has led to electrification of 18,000 villages before the pre-decided deadline of 2019, I have no apprehensions in saying that the goals will be met well in time.
SGV: Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us.
Satyendra Tripathi is a political leader and Fellow at India Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank. Tripathi is the author of Bharat Sutra: Reflections on Emergence of a Nation after 2014 General Elections. His area of interests includes climate security, water security, and International Relations with an emphasis on the Indian Ocean region. Follow Satyendra on Twitter @isatyendra. Read other articles by Satyendra.
