Aatmanirbhar Bharat - Self reliance for Renewable Energy Manufacturing

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised the conference "Aatmanirbhar Bharat - Self reliance for Renewable Energy Manufacturing" from 15-16 July. In cooperation with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) organised a virtual German Pavilion. The conference was attended by a large number of Indian and foreign government officials and industry representatives as well as the Indian Minister of Energy Shri R. K Singh and the German Ambassador Mr. Walter Lindner.

In his speech, Shri R. K Singh highlighted India's rapid expansion of renewable energy and reiterated the government's target of 450 GW of renewables by 2030, saying India is a "world leader in the energy transition". Already, India has almost achieved its target under the Paris Climate Agreement of 40% of its electricity capacity from non-fossil sources at 38.5%, he said. Shri R. K. Singh stressed that the expansion of renewables, especially in the solar sector, should be done by the domestic industry. Indian jobs should be created and import duties are planned to protect the own economy from dumping products. India also wants to become the world market leader for green hydrogen. Thus, the phase-out of grey hydrogen from imported natural gas is to be pushed and the use of green hydrogen for sectors such as fertilizer and fuel is to become mandatory. In addition, it should become easier for companies to purchase green electricity through their production or the grid.

In his address, the German Ambassador to India, His Excellency Walter Lindner, reiterated the long-standing partnership between the two countries in the energy sector and the fight against climate change. Companies such as Bosch and Siemens have been active in India for decades and have created thousands of jobs. German wind turbine manufacturer Enercon is planning to produce its new model exclusively in India and several other German companies are keen to collaborate with Indian manufacturers in the solar sector. "Germany wholeheartedly supports the Indian government's ‘Make in India’ approach, but please use German machinery," Mr. Lindner said.

Minister of Energy Shri RK Singh

Joint booth by IGEF and AHK

IN