India’s Twin Objectives Of Energy Transition, Building Infrastructure Intrinsically Linked

For a rapidly growing economy like India, energy transition and infrastructure building are intrinsically linked. As the country moves towards achieving its ambitious target to become free from energy imports by 2047, India can become a net exporter of green energy, experts said at a conference held at the Adani University.

The second edition of the International Conference on Infrastructure Development and Sustainability (ICIDS) was held on December 11 and 12 and the conference brought together experts from various fields who discussed the emerging agenda in sustainable infrastructure development, green transition and financing.

At the inauguration of the conference, organised by Adani University, professor Ravi P Singh, the provost of Adani University, spoke about India’s incredible progress over the past few years in infrastructure and energy and said the nation is on track to become “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India).

He focused on three major issues: infrastructure development, energy transition, and climate change. He said, India currently stands at about 450 GW of energy capacity and nearly 50 per cent of that is from non-fossil fuel.

“India intends to reach 500 GW by 2030. But given our rapid development, we may need to reach this target even sooner,” he added.

Professor Arun Sharma, recipient of The Royal Order of Australia and the Vice President of Adani University, said India faces the unenviable task of undertaking energy transition and building its infrastructure simultaneously, with both objectives being intrinsically linked.

“India must do this responsibly,” he said.

He emphasised the need for India to build its infrastructure in a sustainable way and elaborated on India’s 2047 goal to become free from energy imports – currently, the country spends over $200 billion on energy imports.

On the country’s potential to lead the global energy transition he said, “India can be a net exporter of green energy for the first time, and this is where green hydrogen and its derivatives come into play.”

He emphasised the importance of electrifying operations to reduce fossil fuel usage and highlighted the role of circular economy practices in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The keynote address at the conference was delivered by professor Bharat Dahiya, from the Research Centre for Sustainable Development and Innovation, School of Global Studies, Thammasat University, Thailand.

He cited the World Economic Forum’s acknowledgment that the “Asian Century” is set to return, although environmental challenges, particularly climate change, pose significant threats.

He called for long-term planning, including 100-year strategies, and proposed using mature-based solutions (NbS) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in infrastructure development, especially in urban areas. Professor Dahiya also stressed the need for policy reforms and local participation in decision-making to drive sustainable infrastructure development, particularly the involvement of city governments and local communities.

On the first day of the event, a compilation of abstracts from the research papers presented during the conference named “Book of Abstracts” was launched and the conference compendium titled “Infrastructure Development: Theory, Practice and Policy” published by Routledge Taylor & Francis, was also released. It is a selection of research papers from the previous conference.

Four panel discussions — on emerging trends in urban and regional transportation, energy transitions and sustainable infrastructure, urban transformation: future models and practices and revitalising PPP across the infrastructure sector — were also held during the conference.

During the discussion on emerging trends in urban and regional transportation, Ajit Pai from Delhi Urban Art Commission spoke about urbanisation and the relevance of planning imperatives for improving livability in Indian context. He emphasised the need for embedding carbon footprints at city levels and not limited to building level.

While discussing energy transitions and sustainable infrastructure, Raj Kumar Jain, head, BD & sustainable strategies, Adani New Industries Ltd, spoke about India’s progress in adopting green energy, focusing on the importance of green electrons, their costs, and the renewable energy landscape. He highlighted schemes like PM Surya Ghar and Muft Bijli Yojana aimed at promoting renewable energy adoption. He also addressed the challenge of evacuating power from remote areas, particularly those with renewable energy projects.

On the topic urban transformation: future models and practices, Arvind Rajput, from GIFT City Company Ltd spoke about the challenges faced in Indian urbanisation and the constraints posed by limited space. He shed light on innovative initiatives like Development of a Utility Tunnel, Zero Discharge Water Management system, a State-of-the-Art City Command and Control System and many more, being implemented in GIFT City to address these challenges.

On revitalising PPP across the infrastructure sector, professor G Raghuram, Professor Emeritus at Gujarat Maritime University, said it is time to explore new fronts for the PPP mode in the operation and development of infrastructure.

On the second day of the conference, research scholars from across the world discussed more than 50 paper presentations.