2021 Energy Security Workshop

India’s Energy Future: Designing and Implementing a Sustainable Power Mix

On September 22-23, 2021, NBR and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars co-hosted the seventeenth annual Energy Security Workshop, “India’s Energy Future: Designing and Implementing a Sustainable Power Mix,” an invitation-only virtual event based out of Washington, D.C.

According to the International Energy Agency, electricity demand in India is expected to grow by 5% per year to 2040, nearly double the pace of overall energy demand growth; this will require an addition of the power generation capacity of the European Union to India’s current electricity system. Although India’s progress on ramping up renewable energy capacity has generated significant attention, the country still has a long way to go in terms of reducing its overall dependency on coal. Similarly, despite the government’s stated goal to make India a gas-based economy, the percentage of natural gas in the power mix has remained low. 

Meanwhile rising energy and electricity demand have also contributed to declining self-sufficiency in coal, gas, and oil, as well as increasing reliance on the import of solar panels, raising complex questions about how to navigate growing exposure to global market disruptions and regional geopolitics. How can stakeholders work together to promote a diverse energy mix in India that reflects changing goals for both energy access and environmental sustainability, all while grappling with ongoing development, investment, and geopolitical challenges?
 
Kindly note that the Energy Security Workshop is held under Chatham House Rule.

Topics

The Geopolitics of Energy in the Indo-Pacific

Challenges for a Sustainable Power Mix

Investing in Connectivity and Resilient Infrastructure

India in the Era of “Net Zero” Ambitions: Decarbonizing the Power Sector Climate Change Mitigation

Speakers

TCA Avni, Independent Researcher

Tom Cutler, Cutler International, LLC

Swati Dsouza, National Foundation for India

Karthik Ganesan, Council on Energy, Environment and Water

Clara Gillispie, The National Bureau of Asian Research

Astha Gupta, Consultant to the International Energy Agency

Mikkal E. Herberg, The National Bureau of Asian Research; University of California – San Diego

Michael Kugelman, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Shweta Kulkarni, Prayas (Energy Group)

Tom Lutken, The National Bureau of Asian Research

Rajiv Ratna Panda, South Asia Regional Energy Partnership; RTI

Ritika Passi, Observer Research Foundation

Lydia Powell, Observer Research Foundation

AK Saxena, The Energy and Resources Institute

Rahul Tongia, Centre for Social and Economic Progress

Vibhanshu Shekhar, American University