India working to transform its energy landscape: Minister Jitendra Singh

India is working to transform its energy landscape with a significant clean energy share, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh has told the international community while asserting the country will achieve net zero emissions by 2070.

By 2030, India has agreed to reach 500GW non-fossil energy capacity, shift 50 per cent of energy its requirements to renewable sources, lower overall anticipated carbon emissions by one billion tonnes and reduce carbon intensity of the economy by 45 per cent over the 2005 levels.

"India is continually working towards transforming the energy landscape of the country with significant clean energy share," Singh said at the Global Clean Energy Acceleration Forum, the joint convening of the 7th Mission Innovation and 13th Clean Energy Ministerial, here.

Highlighting the need to strengthen long-term private sector engagement, he said the transition to bioeconomy is based on projects under development and deployment with high investment and high-risk ambitions.

"I share one such milestone example. A pilot plant of 10 tons per day capacity with integrated enzyme production is being set up at Panipat Haryana. This plant will be commissioned by December and this will be the 1st indigenous technology for on-site enzyme production," Singh said.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has planned to supply this indigenous enzyme to a commercial 2G ethanol plant of 100 KL per day which is expected to be commissioned by the second quarter of 2024, he said.

"Further, lignin valorisation process is also being developed to produce value-added products from waste lignin."

The minister noted that sustainable biofuels play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. The Department of Biotechnology has been supporting innovations in advanced biofuels and waste-to-energy technologies, Singh added.