National
1st edition of India Energy Week 2023
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 in Bengaluru on 06 February 2023.
- The Prime Minister launched the uniforms under the ‘Unbottled’ initiative of Indian Oil. He also dedicated the twin-cooktop model of the IndianOil’s Indoor Solar Cooking System and flagged off its commercial roll-out.
- Later in the day, the Prime Minister also launched E20 fuel at 84 retail outlets of Oil Marketing Companies and flagged off the Green Mobility Rally.
1st edition of India Energy Week 2023:
» India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 was organized from February 6 to 8, 2023 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. IEW was aimed to showcase India’s rising prowess as an energy transition powerhouse.
Tagline:
India Energy Week 2023 was organized during India’s G20 Presidency, under the tagline “Growth, Collaboration, Transition”.
Supported by:
IEW 2023 was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India, and officially supported by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI).
Participation:
India Energy Week convened more than 500 international speakers, over 30,000 energy professionals and 8,000 international delegates from more than 100 countries, to discuss India’s pioneering approach towards diversifying its energy mix.
- The event brought together leaders from the traditional and non-traditional energy industry, governments, and academia to discuss the challenges and opportunities that a responsible energy transition presents.
» IEW 2023 provided an unprecedented opportunity for regional, international leaders and CEOs to come together for strategic policy making and technical knowledge sharing.
Sessions:
- During the IEW 2023, through 19 strategic conference sessions, the comprehensive gamut of issues covering the entire energy sector were discussed and deliberated by panels of Energy Ministers from various countries, CEOs / leaders of Energy Majors, etc.
- The Strategic Conference of IEW 2023 covered themes such as Energy Security, pathways for decarbonization, Resilient Energy Supply Chains, Emerging Fuels such as Biofuel and Hydrogen, Investments in Upstream and Midstream Sector etc.
- Besides the Strategic Conference, IEW 2023 also had Technical and Commercial Conference Sessions, wherein critical aspects of prevailing and prospective energy market scenarios were deliberated upon.
» India Energy Week 2024 will be organized in Goa in February 2024.
» During the programme, Prime Minister participated in a roundtable interaction with global oil & gas CEOs. He also launched multiple initiatives in the field of green energy.
Multiple initiatives in the field of Green Energy:
E20 Fuel:
» In line with the Ethanol Blending roadmap, Prime Minister launched E20 fuel. E20 is a blend of 20% ethanol with petrol.
As part of the event, the Prime Minister also launched E20 fuel at 84 retail outlets of Oil Marketing Companies in 11 States/UTs along the lines of the ethanol blending roadmap.
- The Government aims to achieve a complete 20% blending of ethanol by 2025, and HPCL and other oil marketing companies are setting up 2G-3G ethanol plants that will facilitate the progress.
Ethanol Blending programme:
- Ethanol Blending programme has been a key focus areas of the Government to achieve Aatmanirbharta in the field of energy. Due to the sustained efforts of the Government, Ethanol production capacity has seen a six times increase since 2013-14.
- The achievements in the course of last eight years under under Ethanol Blending Program & Biofuels Program have not only augmented India’s energy security but have also resulted in a host of other benefits including reduction of 318 Lakh Metric Tonnes of CO2 emissions and foreign exchange savings of around Rs 54,000 crore.
- As a result, there has been payment of around Rs 81,800 crore towards ethanol supplies during 2014 to 2022 and transfer of more than Rs 49,000 crore to farmers.
Green Mobility Rally:
» Prime Minister also flagged off the Green Mobility Rally organized by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited on behalf of Oil & Gas PSUs and PLL.
- The Rally witnessed participation of 57 vehicles running on sustainable green energy sources viz., E20, E85, Flex Fuel, Hydrogen, Electric etc.
- The Rally helped in creating public awareness for the Green fuels.
Uniforms under the ‘Unbottled’ initiative of Indian Oil:
» The Prime Minister also launched the uniforms under the ‘Unbottled’ initiative of Indian Oil. These uniforms are made of recycled PET bottles.
- Guided by the vision of the Prime Minister to phase out single-use plastic, Indian Oil has adopted uniforms for retail customer attendants and LPG delivery personnel made from recycled polyester (rPET) & cotton.
- Each set of uniforms of Indian Oil’s customer attendant shall support recycling of around 28 used PET bottles.
- Indian Oil is taking this initiative further through ‘Unbottled’ – a brand for sustainable garments launched for merchandise made from recycled polyester.
- Under this brand, Indian Oil targets to meet the requirement of uniforms for the customer attendants of other Oil Marketing Companies, non-combat uniforms for the Army, uniforms/ dresses for Institutions & sales to retail customers.
Twin-cooktop model of the Indian Oil’s Indoor Solar Cooking System:
» The Prime Minister also dedicated the twin-cooktop model of the IndianOil’s Indoor Solar Cooking System and flagged off its commercial roll-out.
- Indian Oil had earlier developed an innovative and patented Indoor Solar Cooking System with a single cooktop.
- On the basis of feedback received, the twin-cooktop Indoor Solar Cooking system has been designed to offer more flexibility and ease to the users.
- It is a revolutionary indoor solar cooking solution that works on both solar and auxiliary energy sources simultaneously, making it a reliable cooking solution for India.
South India’s 1st Industrial Corridor Project, the Tumakuru Industrial Township
⇒ Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of South India’s 1st Industrial Corridor Project to be implemented at Tumakuru which is spread over 8500 Acre of land under the Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), on 06 February 2023.
The Prime Minister said that taking forward the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Tumakuru Industrial Township has been planned with holistic and integrated approach in line with the principles of PM-GatiShakti to address the issue of last mile multi-modal connectivity to the economic zone.
Being developed by:
The Government of India, through the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT), and the Government of Karnataka, through the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), have taken up the development of the Industrial Township at Vasanthanarsapura.
Development Phase:
- The Industrial Township, spread across 8500 acres, will be developed in three phases in Tumakuru district through the project Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).
- The CBIC project includes the development of industrial townships at three nodes: Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Tumakuru (Karnataka), and Ponneri (Tamil Nadu).
- The Tumakuru node has been prioritized for development, with an area of 1736.20 acre being identified as the priority development area.
- The Phase-A of the project is expected to generate employment opportunities for approximately 88,000 people and attract investment of around Rs 7,000 crore over a period of 5-6 years, triggering growth and prosperity in the region.
» Based on the principles of last mile multimodal connectivity of PM-GatiShakti, the upcoming industrial township will have world class infrastructure with Mumbai-Chennai National Highway 48 adjoining the site, Bengaluru International Airport located at a distance of approx.115 km, Tumakuru Railway Station situated at a distance of 25 km and Mangaluru Port at a distance of 300 km and very well connected to the site through NH.
Other Points:
- With the objective to increase the share of manufacturing in the GDP of India, the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme is being implemented whereby 32 greenfield industrial smart cities under 11 industrial corridors are being developed with world class Plug-n-Play infrastructure.
- With the Government’s mantra of “Reform, Perform and Transform”, 04 such smart industrial cities have already been completed at Dholera in Gujarat, Shendra Bidkin in Maharashtra, Vikram Udyogpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Integrated Industrial Township at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
International
2nd Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) meeting under India's G20 Presidency
⇒ The 2nd Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency was held from April 2 – 4, 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Participants:
More than 100 delegates from G20 member countries, special invitee countries, and International Organizations, including the International Energy Agency (IEA), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), European Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and International Solar Alliance (ISA), took part in the meeting to engage in discussions and deliberations on priority areas.
Inaugural address:
The inaugural address of the meeting was delivered by the Union Minister of State for AYUSH and Women and Child Development, Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai.
Day 1:
Building on the discussions from the 1st Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG), Member countries engaged in constructive discussions and deliberations focusing on key priority areas, outlined under India’s Presidency.
Agenda for Day 1:
- Fuels for Future (3Fs)
- Low-cost Financing for Energy Transition
- Energy Transition through Addressing Technology Gaps
- Side Event: Seminar on Global Green Hydrogen Ecosystem Enabling Net Zero Pathways
Key Points:
- The proposed formation of the Global Biofuels Alliance received wide-ranging support from member countries.
- The other key point of discussion was low-cost financing for energy transition, where member countries discussed the important role of international financial structure including raising the ambitions of multilateral financial institutions and the importance of coordinating actions with the Sustainable Finance Working Group, initiated under India’s G20 Presidency.
- Member countries also reaffirmed their commitment to energy transition by addressing technology gaps. There was broad consensus amongst members to align with other global organizations such as Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), Mission Innovation (MI), and RD20 to achieve tangible outcomes.
- Protecting intellectual property rights in the context of technology transfer was also emphasized. It was also agreed to continue with a focus on the deployment of clean mature technologies such as Solar PV and Offshore Wind.
» On the sidelines, the Meeting was complemented by the side event – ‘Green Hydrogen – Advancing Net Zero Pathways’.
- The discussions focused on policy, regulatory, and financial frameworks and to promote cooperation amongst G20 nations.
- The event also featured an exhibition where India’s first H2 Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) truck was displayed.
Day 2:
Agenda for Day 2:
- Universal Access to Clean Energy and Just, Affordable, and Inclusive Energy Transition Pathways
- Energy Security and Diversified Supply Chains
- Energy Efficiency, Industrial Low Carbon Transitions, and Responsible Consumption
- Side Event: Seminar on Accelerate Cooling as a Key Enabler Towards Energy Transition
- Side Event: Diversified Renewable Energy Supply Chains for Advancing Energy Transitions
Key Points:
- On the second day of the meeting, detailed discussions aimed to improve accessibility towards clean energy worldwide. It also initiated an exchange of dialogue on the need for affordability and inclusivity in Energy Transition Pathways.
- Later, an elaborate seminar was organized on the sidelines of the 2nd ETWG meeting. It highlighted how enabling global transitions in energy can aid global sustainable cooling.
» The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Mines, and the Ministry of Power, Govt of India, hosted an official side event on ‘Diversifying Renewables & Critical Minerals Supply Chains to Advance Energy Transition’.
- The event, supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), focused on diversifying and securing renewable energy (RE) and critical mineral supply chains for energy transitions, including promoting circularity in value chains.
» The 2nd Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting (ETWG) under India’s G20 Presidency concluded successfully in Gandhinagar, on April 3, 2023.
- At the closing session for the day, delegates exchanged dialogue on making the energy sector more efficient. The meeting aimed to highlight the benefits of low-carbon transitions from different industries as well as to promote responsible consumption.
» Delegates also got the opportunity to visit Modhera, India’s first fully solar-powered village.
» The 3rd Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting (ETWG) under India’s G20 Presidency concluded in Mumbai on May 17, 2023.