Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Power Minister R K Singh chaired a virtual meeting on October 22, 2021, with senior officials from State Governments and industry partners to review the current level of activities in the field of energy efficiency and clean energy transition being implemented by State Agencies.
This was necessary in view of India’s commitment to energy transition and to fulfill Paris Agreement Goals. During June, 2021, the Power Minister had interacted with the Ministries and Departments concerned of Central Government and it was concluded that state agencies will also have to play more active role in this endeavor.
Singh, in his address, said that that the government is committed to environment and we are way ahead of the targets which we had committed to in our NDCs declared in Paris Climate Agreement . He stated that while we are changing the nature of energy by adding more renewable energy hence resulting in emissions reduction, we are also reducing emissions intensities of our economy by schemes for energy efficiency such as UJALA and Perform Achieve Trade which have resulted in reducing millions of tonnes of CO2 per annum, he added.
Singh stressed the need for collaborative efforts between the Central and State Governments towards largescale deployment of energy efficiency measures in potential sectors of economy. He emphasised the need for active participation by all state agencies and called for setting up of dedicated energy efficiency institutions in states similar to BEE at the Central level. He further stated that the states will set targets in accordance to the targets set by the country for emissions reduction, according to a PIB release.
The meeting was also attended by the Secretary Power Alok Kumar, Additional Secretary Power Vivek Kumar Dewangan, DG BEE Abhay Bakre, and senior officials from the Ministry and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
During the meeting, three reports were released as given below:
- State Energy Efficiency Index – 2020 – The report of State Energy Efficiency Index – 2020 to help the states in monitoring their programmes by contributing to National Climate Action Goals.
(b) Compendium on DSM measures by DISCOMs – The compendium to help in better management of focused programmes, development of DSM action plan and implementation of related activities.
(c) eBook on Best Operating Practices by SDAs –The e-book on best energy efficiency practices of State Designated Agencies (STAs) to facilitate the coordination of peer groups and adoption of best practices by other states.
Union Power Minister Singh also announced the launch of trading of Energy Saving Certificates (ESCerts) under Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) Cycle-II. The trading will take place every Tuesday, starting from October 26, 2021, on designated Power Exchanges.The industries which performed exceedingly well on energy savings were rewarded with ESCerts and they will be able to earn monetary benefits through sale of ESCerts to other industrial units who could not meet their targets.
In order to move towards a greener economy, Singh also announced proposal for National Carbon Market with an objective to involve corporate and private sectors towards energy saving and carbon emission reductions. The draft blueprint was released on this occasion for “National Carbon Market for Stakeholder Consultation”. This carbon market will pave the way for a largescale promotion of clean energy technologies in India leading to de-carbonization of Indian economy through active participation by various stakeholders. Similar markets in other countries have been found to be successful in promoting energy efficiency and clean energy deployment. Bureau of Energy Efficiency has been mandated by the government to develop such market which would be functional in the coming years.
The meeting was attended by senior officers from state governments who presented highlights of state level activities accomplished during last four years. Ministry of Power in consultation with Bureau of Energy Efficiency has drafted a comprehensive roadmap on clean energy transition.