New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS): Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday held a productive discussion with a US delegation led by John Podesta, Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden for International Climate Policy, on strengthening the partnership between the two countries in driving the global clean energy transition, an official statement said.
"The India and US engagements under the ‘Power & Energy Efficiency Pillar’, which is led by the Ministry of Power under the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP), are important to realize the goals to achieve energy transition," he said.
During the discussions, the Minister emphasised the shared commitment between India and the United States, to work for a ‘clean’ energy future that fosters economic growth and development.
Podesta said that India and the US can collaborate in areas like clean energy, energy storage systems, and energy efficiency and that the US can support India in enhancing its manufacturing capacity.
He observed that India is a valuable partner of the US and both countries support each other in building resilient supply chains and an investment-led partnership strategy.
Both sides explored the possibility of technical exchanges on efforts to upgrade power grid transmission to handle future load growth. The discussions also covered policy consultations and potential financial support to advance these modernisation efforts. Discussions were also held on enhancing India’s manufacturing capacity in critical areas like large transformers aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on imports.
The talks also delved into the possibilities of state-to-state partnerships on long-duration energy storage studies, with further collaboration on grid-scale battery storage solutions.
Besides, the discussions highlighted the importance of stimulating manufacturing projects and policies to increase India’s capacity to build, deploy, and export high-efficiency air conditioning systems and fans. The meeting also underscored the importance of the India-US partnership in driving the global clean energy transition, with both sides expressing their commitment to deepening cooperation in these critical areas.
Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shripad Naik and senior officials from the Ministry of Power were also present at the talks.