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India’s Emerging Carbon Market: Balancing Economic Growth with Environmental Sustainability

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With the global focus increasingly shifting towards carbon pricing as a tool to combat climate change, India’s efforts to design and implement an effective carbon market could have profound implications not only for its domestic climate goals but also for the global carbon trading landscape. Carbon pricing is globally recognized as a cost-effective mechanism to internalize the environmental costs of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In its essence, carbon pricing assigns a monetary value to GHG…

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Delicensing Electricity Distribution in India: Unlocking Green Power Potential and Market Efficiency

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India’s electricity sector is at a critical juncture. The proposed delicensing of electricity distribution, as outlined in the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022, could mark a transformative shift for the country’s power sector. This move aims to introduce competition, enhance efficiency, and foster green power adoption, but it also comes with significant challenges and uncertainties. India’s electricity sector has seen considerable evolution since the introduction of the Electricity Act (EA) in 2003. This legislation was pivotal…

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Utilities at the Crossroads: Tackling the Energy Transition with Real-World Solutions

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As the global push towards decarbonization intensifies, the role of utilities in the energy transition becomes increasingly critical. Utilities are at the forefront of efforts to decarbonize electricity supply and electrify energy demand, collectively known as the energy transition. They are tasked with increasing the share of renewable energy in their generation mixes, modernizing networks to integrate these variable power sources, and managing the diverse power needs of industry, households, and transportation. Additionally, utilities must…

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Sri Lanka: Kerawalapitiya – Port 2nd Transmission Line Project 

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Sri Lanka’s Kerawalapitiya – Port 2nd Transmission Line Project is vital for accommodating the increasing electricity demands in the Greater Colombo area, particularly in anticipation of the development of the Colombo Port City. The project is being implemented by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) with financial backing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The project involves the construction of a 16 km, 220kV single circuit underground transmission cable system connecting the Kerawalapitiya Switching Station…

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Bangladesh: Southern Chattogram and Kaliakoir Transmission Infrastructure Development Project

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Bangladesh’s energy sector is poised for a significant upgrade with the approval of the Southern Chattogram and Kaliakoir Transmission Infrastructure Development Project. This initiative aims to enhance the reliability and capacity of the power transmission network in Southern Chattogram and the Kaliakoir region. The project has a total approved funding of USD 160 million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The project involves the construction of approximately 180.43 km of 132/230kV transmission lines, the…

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Decommissioning Coal-Based Plants in India

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The proportion of installed capacity from coal/lignite has decreased from 55 per cent in 1947 to 50 per cent in 2024, but it still dominates, accounting for 50 per cent of installed capacity and 73 per cent of generation as of March 2024. Central Electricity Authority (CEA) projects coal/lignite will still comprise 32 per cent of installed capacity by 2030. Coal-based plant installations surged between 2007 and 2017, driven by high spot prices in power…

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Indo-German Power Sector Collaboration

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Germany’s Climate Strategy in the Power Sector Germany has long sought to lead international climate policy, championing the Kyoto Protocol and setting 1990 emissions targets. Despite setbacks in the 1990s and 2000s, Germany supported the European Union’s (EU) emissions trading system (ETS) and, following the Paris Agreement, the EU Green Deal for climate neutrality by 2050. Under Germany’s 2020 EU presidency, the 2030 emissions reduction target was raised to at least 55% below 1990 levels….

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Strengthening Renewable Purchase Obligations

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The Electricity Act of 2003 mandates State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) to set minimum renewable energy (RE) shares for states, known as Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs), which apply to distribution companies (DISCOMs) and other obligated entities. It binds entities to purchase a certain percentage of their total electricity consumption from RE sources. Initially, RPOs were divided into solar and non-solar categories. In 2019, hydro power obligations (HPO) were introduced, and in 2022, RPOs were categorized…

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Hydropower: Achieving Global Renewable Energy Targets

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At the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai, global governments pledged to triple renewable generation capacity from 3.8 TW in 2022 to 11.2 TW by 2030. This increase in variable renewables poses grid security and flexibility challenges. Hydropower, among low-carbon options, is the most versatile and cost-effective solution for grid stability. Its key strengths are flexibility and resilience, complementing variable renewables with services ranging…

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Lessons from the Indo-Pacific for Latin America’s Energy Transition and Global Governance

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The Indo-Pacific region, spanning the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific, has become increasingly prominent due to shifting geopolitical dynamics, particularly in trade, investment, infrastructure, and security. The Indo-Pacific’s experience with high carbon emissions and advancements in renewable energy—such as India’s 35.8% and Indonesia’s 22% share of clean energy in 2020—provides useful insights for Latin America, which faces similar energy supply and development issues. Both regions are facing transitioning to renewable energy amid large…