EU energy chief calls for stronger India-EU partnership in green energy transition

At a time when geopolitical fracturing and economic considerations are forcing countries to revisit the pace of energy transition, European Union commissioner for energy Dan Jorgensen is advocating for greater partnership between India and the EU.

"India and the EU are in the process of decarbonising energy systems. It’s not easy," said the former Danish minister who is now tasked with phasing out fossil fuels from the EU’s energy system. A closer collaboration, the EU energy commissioner believes, will help India and the EU step up their efforts to make their respective energy systems sustainable and resilient.

Jorgensen says India "continues to astonish" with the speed of its energy transition.

India has added 79.4 GW of renewable energy capacity between 2020-21 and 2024-25 compared to 15.4GW net coal capacity added in the same period, according to India Energy Overview, a monthly assessment by Delhi-based Vasudha Foundation.

It is not just the pace of the transition that has caught Jorgensen’s attention. "What I find really impressive is how India is making it possible to deliver affordable electricity to a huge population, while at the same time going through a green energy transition," he said. Energy cost is top concern for the EU’s energy boss. Just ahead of the visit to India, Jorgensen unveiled the EU’s affordable energy action plan to address high energy costs in Europe.

Despite the pace of renewable energy capacity addition, India’s power sector continues to be dominated by coal. "In India, obviously it’s a challenge moving away from from coal. We in the EU also still have coal in our energy mix, but that is rapidly changing. Last year, for the first time ever, we produced more electricity from solar than from coal. It is going in the right direction. What we are struggling with right now is to get more independence from outside suppliers of gas," Jorgensen said, setting out the challenges.

Clean and green energy systems is a focus of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council.

Jorgensen envisions deepening the partnership focusing on areas such as green hydrogen and battery storage. "We need to intensify our collaboration with green and clean hydrogen. Though the technology is mature, it is still not viable commercially. We need to scale up while bringing down the price. We need to get the value chain for green hydrogen to work. This is something that I see as a big potential for us to work together," said Jorgensen.

Another area where India and EU can engage is the planning of the energy system, which Jorgensen saidbecomes extremely important given the rapid speed of the deployment of renewable energy in the system.