India, UK hold Fourth Energy Dialogue, announce launch of Phase 2 of ASPIRE programme

The event was held on Monday.

In a press release, Ministry of Power said, "This phase will aim to provide technical support for ensuring round-the-clock power supply, expanding renewable energy initiatives, and accelerating industrial energy efficiency and de-carbonization, in collaboration with the Ministry of Power (MOP) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)."

The Ministers underscored the importance of ensuring energy security and sustainable development and emphasised expanding the cooperation in power distribution, sector reforms, industrial energy efficiency and de-carbonization, and electric mobility sectors while exploring new opportunities in the emerging fields like energy storage, green data centers, and offshore wind, with an increased focus on Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

In a press release, Ministry of Power said, "The dialogue focused on reviewing progress made in the energy sectors of both nations, including power and renewable energy, and reaffirming the commitment to a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive energy future. The Ministers underscored the importance of ensuring that the energy transition and economic growth proceed together, while maintaining affordable and clean energy access for all."

The Ministers noted the bilateral collaboration between the two sides to promote growth and jobs, through technical assistance cooperation and investment. Manohar Lal Khattar and Ed Miliband discussed the progress of trade missions focusing on offshore wind and green hydrogen, and the cooperation between the UK's Energy Systems Catapult and India's Power Trading Corporation.

The two leaders announced the establishment of a UK-India Offshore Wind Taskforce, focused on advancing offshore wind ecosystem development, supply chains, and financing models in both countries. Miliband lauded India's ambitious initiatives in the renewable energy sector and showed a strong interest in gaining insights from India's experience in implementing the Solar Rooftop Programme (PM - Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojna).

Both leaders agreed on the importance of power market regulations in driving the energy transition and ensuring greater energy security and access.

In a press release, Ministry of Power said, "To support this, they announced the continuation of the Power Sector Reforms programme under the UK Partnering for Accelerating Climate Change (UKPACT). Additionally, a new taskforce has been proposed between the UK's Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) and India's Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to support renewable energy integration and grid transformation in India."

In a post on X, Manohar Lal Khattar said that they had "detailed and fruitful discussion" on the progress made in power distribution, industrial energy efficiency, decarbonization and electric mobility and reiterated the commitment towards new opportunities in areas like energy storage.

https://x.com/mlkhattar/status/1888962433705705496

Khattar and Miliband emphasized the ongoing value of the India-UK Energy Dialogue in advancing mutual energy transition goals, ensuring energy access, and building secure and sustainable clean energy supply chains while aligning these efforts with economic growth, according to Ministry of Power press release.

The two sides expressed their intention to further strengthen their collaboration through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and looked forward to the fifth UK-India Energy Dialogue in 2026. The dialogue concluded with the launch of the 'Best Practices Compendium of Industrial Energy Efficiency/Decarbonisation' and a 'Pathways for Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation in the Indian Aluminium Sector'. (ANI)