BRITAIN sees India as a “crucial partner” as both countries aim to deepen their cooperation on clean energy, with a focus on renewables and climate action, UK secretary of state for energy security and net zero, Ed Miliband, said.

On a visit to India this week, Miliband highlighted India’s ambitious renewable energy targets and its commitment to achieving net zero by 2070.

In an interview with Eastern Eye on Tuesday (11), Miliband said, “I come away with a real sense of India’s ambition, and also a broader sense that some people in the UK ask, ‘Is Britain the only country pursuing this clean energy transition?’ Well, the answer is no, because I have just come to India and seen the real endeavour there is to make this clean energy transition happen because of a belief that it can really work for India.”

At the Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue, held in New Delhi on Monday (10), India's minister of power and housing and urban affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, and Miliband announced the launch of phase-2 of the Accelerating Smart Power and Renewable Energy in India (ASPIRE) programme.

It aims to enhance energy security through technical support for round-the-clock power supply, expansion of renewable energy projects, and advancements in industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation.

The initiative has been developed in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Power (MOP) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Miliband told Eastern Eye he was “really struck by the shared vision there is around the clean energy transition, the shared vision around energy security, around growth and tackling the climate crisis.”

He said his meetings with Indian officials reinforced the commitment to work together in key areas, including grid modernisation, offshore wind, and industrial decarbonisation.

“We’ve agreed to work together on grids, because that is a big issue, and we’ve agreed to deepen and strengthen our partnership because in all these respects, climate Read More…