INDIA and the US have agreed to expand their energy partnership in emerging fuels as well, an official statement said.
The decision was taken at a ministerial meeting of the US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) earlier this week.
"Minister Hardeep Singh Puri co-chaired a virtual ministerial meeting with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to launch the revamped US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP)," a statement from the oil ministry said.
The SCEP was launched in accordance with the US-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at the Leaders' Summit on Climate held in April this year.
"The two sides announced the addition of a fifth Pillar on Emerging Fuels, which signals joint resolve to promote clean energy fuels. A new India-US Task Force on Biofuels was also announced to build on the scope of work on cooperation in the biofuels sector," the statement added.
With this, the partnership now spreads across five pillars of cooperation -- Power and Energy Efficiency, Responsible Oil and Gas, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Growth and Emerging Fuels.
"The meeting also reviewed the progress on the India-US Civil Nuclear Energy cooperation," it said without providing any details.
"Minister Puri emphasised that the revamped clean energy partnership will intensify the efforts from both sides to take advantage of the complementarities that exist between the US and India - advanced US technologies and rapidly growing India's energy market, for a win-win situation through a cleaner energy route with low carbon pathways," it said.
"The US Secretary lauded India's renewable energy target of 450 GW by 2030, and offered to closely collaborate in the realisation of this target by India."
The two sides also announced the rechristening of the Gas Task Force to the India-US Low Emissions Gas Task Force, which would continue to forge collaboration between the US and Indian companies.
The two sides also agreed to continue to develop better understandings on methane abatement under this Task Force. Both sides have initiated the institutionalisation of the India Energy Modeling Forum with the constitution of Six Task Forces for carrying out research and modelling in different areas.
According to the ministry, joint committees have been set up to deliberate on energy data management, low carbon technologies and just transition in the coal sector.
Viram Jasani 
