WRI India Statement: India reaffirms ambitious renewable energy target at United Nations

September 25, 2021, NEW DELHI: Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to achieving 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, along with other actions to decarbonize India’s economy.

Following is a statement from Dr. OP Agarwal, CEO, World Resources Institute India:

With COP-26 starting in six weeks, Prime Minister Modi’s speech comes as a welcome reaffirmation of India’s commitment to climate action. India’s 450 GW renewable energy target would mean tripling its present renewable energy capacity in less than ten years. This is a very significant commitment that goes beyond India’s current Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.

The Government’s previous policies have succeeded in making solar and wind energy cost-competitive compared with fossil fuels. Going forward, this target would bring the share of renewables to 40% of electricity generation, which will require major investments in energy storage and grid integration.

The Prime Minister also announced a bold new vision to make India a major hub for green hydrogen. Industry switching from fossil fuels to green hydrogen would powerfully complement the greening of grid electricity. This would be key to long term decarbonization of India’s economy.

Reflecting these important ambitions in an updated NDC will give a clear signal to the international community about India’s commitment to combating climate change.