Indo-Japan N-deal to boost India’s renewable energy plans: IEA

India’s recent agreement with Japan on developing environment-friendly nuclear energy for civilian use is the right step and will boost the country’s renewable energy plans, the International Energy Agency (IEA )said in Friday.

“We support India’s renewable energy plans, the building of solar industry hub in the country and its approach to nuclear as a civic energy source,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said after launching the 2015 medium term market report for coal in Singapore.

Paris-based IEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organisation that works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 29 member countries and beyond. 

Birol said India with its right safety policies will work out nuclear energy deal with the rest of the international community. He also called on the Indian government to continue its renewable energy programmes, including the development of solar technologies despite these being out-priced by the current low crude oil prices.

“The low oil price environment will not last forever and as such I am hopeful India will continue its programmes to develop renewable energies,” he said. The IEA executive director noted the urgent need for India to increase electricity generation, while facing strong power demand from industrialising economy.

“India also needs to provide full electricity access to the 240 million people still without it. But for all this demand, India needs to have a balanced energy mix coal, natural gas, renewables and nuclear,” he said.

Capping years of negotiations, India and Japan on December 12 sealed a broad agreement for cooperation in civil nuclear energy with the final deal to be signed after certain technical and legal issues are thrashed out.