ENHANCED
COOPERATION AND INVESTMENTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR FROM EUROPE
The visit by a 12 member official-cum-business
Renewable Energy Mission led by the Minister of State (Independent
Charge) for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Shri M. Kannappan,
to the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Switzerland from June 19-28,
2002 is expected to enhance bilateral cooperation and bring technologies
and investments to India in the non-conventional energy sector.
The visit was undertaken to present the opportunities arising
from Government of India’s plans to add a capacity of 10,000 MW
of grid power and electrify 18,000 remote villages through renewables
by the end of the Eleventh Five Year Plan in 2012. Significant
policy and technological developments are taking place in the
Netherlands, United Kingdom and Switzerland in the field of renewable
energy, particularly against the backdrop of their emissions reduction
obligations under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. They are keen to explore investment
opportunities in developing countries under the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM). During his visit, the Minister met with the Energy
Ministers of the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and senior officials
of the Government of the Netherlands.
In his Address at the Interaction Meet with senior
officials of the Dutch Government, renewable energy experts and
representatives of industry, organized by the Energy Research
Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) on June 20th, 2002 at Amsterdam,
the Minister outlined India’s achievements in the renewable energy
sector and invited technology transfer and investments in view
of the opportunities available in India, particularly under the
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Both sides agreed to consider
enhancing cooperation in several renewable energy areas, including
village electrification. ECN and the Centre for Wind Energy Technology
(C-WET) of the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy sources agreed
to undertake joint projects in wind energy development in India.
In the meetings held at the Directorate General for Environmental
Protection of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning
and the Environment, possibilities of Dutch investments under
CDM, and the next steps for finalization of the six Indian projects
selected under the recent CERUPT tender were discussed. Possibility
of Dutch technical assistance in capacity building also emerged
during the discussions.
In his meeting with Minister for Energy of the
United Kingdom, Mr. Brian Wilson, on June 25th, 2002, Shri Kannappan
invited British companies to take advantage of the investment
opportunities in India, and evinced keen interest in learning
more about the British experience and initiatives in promoting
the use of renewable energy. Mr. Wilson briefed the delegation
on the United Kingdom’s recent initiatives, including the legislation
on "Renewable Energy Obligation". The two Ministers
agreed to explore further possibilities of promoting investment,
technology collaboration, joint ventures, etc. in several renewable
energy areas, and also agreed that the two countries should remain
in touch in the context of the forthcoming Johannesburg World
Summit on Sustainable Development. The British Minister for Science
and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury, also joined the meeting.
In U.K., the delegation also had meetings at
the Department of Environment, Forests and Rural Affairs, and
with officials of the Climate Change Project Office on issues
related to the Kyoto Protocol, the British initiatives and possibilities
of capacity building. Senior officials of the World Energy Council
called on Shri Kannappan during his stay in London and sought
to expand their activities with India’s assistance in the South
Asian and other countries of the Region. The Managing Director
of IT Power, UK also called on Mr. Kannappan. He informed the
Minister about their interest in expanding operations in the renewable
energy sector in India.
In the meeting with the Swiss Minister of Environment,
Traffic, Energy and Communication, Mr. Moritz Leuenberger at Basel
on June 27th, 2002, the two sides agreed to look into the possibilities
of technical assistance and financing in several renewable energy
sectors, including capacity building in the areas of sustainable
energy policy and CDM projects. A Statement of Intent was signed
by Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and Basel
Agency for Sustainable Energy (BASE) in the presence of the two
Ministers, to define and implement a concrete programme of Indo-Swiss
partnership for electrification of remote villages in India. Ambassador,
Walter Fust, Director General of Swiss Development Corporation
of the Government of Switzerland expressed keen interest in supporting
renewable energy projects in India, including the new village
electrification initiatives.
In his Keynote Address delivered at the Sun 21
International Energy Forum in Basel, Shri Kannappan gave a brief
account of India’s achievements, and expressed the hope that a
new Global Agenda with definite goals would emerge at the Johannesburg
Summit. The major issues, which will need to be addressed, are
sustainable economic growth, poverty alleviation and technology
transfer. An Em Power Partnership Programme was launched at the
Forum, promoted by an Indian NGO, DESIPOWER for village electrification
in India through public-private-community partnership.
The Indian delegation also met with investors
and business representatives from Switzerland and Germany, and
made presentations on the business opportunities available for
investments in India. There was keen interest
in developing and promoting projects in India. An official function
was hosted by the Minister of Energy of the
Canton of Basel, Ms. Barbara
Schneider, at the City Hall in Basel in honour of Shri Kannappan
and the Indian delegation. She briefed the delegation about the
progressive energy laws in Basel and their initiatives in sustainable
energy. It was agreed to explore common areas and projects of
interest for co-operation between the Canton and Indian institutions
and industry.
During the 10-day visit,
the Indian Renewable Energy Mission led by Shri Kannappan also
visited key renewable energy industries and projects in the three
countries. In the Netherlands, they visited the rotor blade design
unit of an Indian wind turbine company and two grid-interactive
building integrated solar photovoltaic projects, at a large flower
auction centre and an exclusive solar city in Amersfoort. In the
United Kingdom, they visited the European Technology Centre of
BP Solar and a large advanced biomass gasification power plant
of Alsthom. In Switzerland, the delegation visited two small hydropower
projects near Basel. At the Expo 2002 in Neuchatel and Biel, renewable
energy projects on electricity production from biogas, an auto
rickshaw project being undertaken jointly with Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore, and a boat powered by solar photovoltaic,
was visited.
The Renewable Energy Mission led by Shri Kannappan,
the main focus of which was to invite technology collaboration
and investments to India in the non-conventional energy sector,
elicited favourable response, both from the respective Governments
and business communities in the three countries visited by the
delegation. This is expected to lead to enhanced bilateral cooperation,
collaboration between institutions and industry, and increased
investments from those countries in the renewable energy.
