India will propose mitigation measures for high-carbon sectors such as steel, cement, refineries and fertilizers.

“We are certainly considering mitigation measures for difficult areas. For example, the industrial sector, which is difficult to mitigate, such as steel mills, cement plants, refineries, fertilizer factories. These consume a lot of energy and are very greedy. We are therefore studying how to reduce their carbon emissions. This is why we are talking about CCUS (carbon capture, utilization and storage) and clean coal technology,” Saraswat said.Mintrefusing to share details.

The action plan comes as India and 197 other member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) prepare to submit their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce carbon emissions. here February. The third round of NDCs must reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in 2035 to levels compatible with the 1.5°C target and India, the world’s fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is not doing so. exception.

Failure to raise the targets of the new NDCs and start meeting them immediately will put the world on track for a temperature rise of 2.6 to 3.1°C above pre-industrial age levels in the during this century. This will have a debilitating impact on people, the planet and economies, the United Nations Environment Program said in a report released in October.

In August 2022, the Indian government revised its NDCs, increasing its ambition to a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. ‘by 2070. Emissions refers to the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. by a country, while emissions intensity is the quantity of these gases produced per unit of activity or production.

Capture, use, store

In 2023, the electricity sector (electricity production) remained the largest global contributor to emissions with 15.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (GtCO2e), followed by transport (8.4 GtCO2e ), agriculture (6.5 GtCO2e) and industry (6.5 GtCO2e).

A report by the NITI Aayog, titled “Carbon capture, utilization and storage policy framework and its deployment mechanism in India,” released in November 2022, explores the importance of carbon capture, utilization and storage. carbon as an emissions reduction strategy to achieve in-depth targets. decarbonization of hard-to-reduce sectors which contribute to 40% of emissions.

With the potential for India to reach a CCUS capacity of 750 million metric tonnes per year by 2050, there may be a variety of opportunities to convert captured carbon dioxide into value-added products like l green urea, application in the form of food and beverages, construction materials (concrete and aggregates), chemicals (methanol and ethanol), polymers (including bioplastics) and enhanced oil recovery, with broad market opportunities, thus contributing substantially to a circular economy, according to a government press release.

Saraswat said there are many opportunities for energy storage in India. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, energy storage systems (ESS) can be used to store available energy from renewable energy and can be used during peak hours.

“Decarbonization and high penetration of renewable energy, reducing emissions and energy independence, enable consumers to store and use self-generated energy, thereby reducing dependence on the grid…India could reduce around 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by storing renewable energy,” the Niti Aayog member said.

Peak shaving (a strategy to eliminate peaks in demand by reducing electricity consumption through battery energy storage systems or other means), load shifting, extreme weather conditions, Peak demand and costly additional energy can be managed through energy storage, he said.

“States like Karnataka and Gujarat are already using ESS,” he added.

Asked if there would be sector-specific targets, Saraswat said: “We don’t set targets – we only promote policies. »

CCUS policy or technology is driven by the Department of Energy. Saraswat said the key factors are reducing the use of coal to generate electricity by the 2070s and expanding India’s nuclear power program.

“If we can take care of all the aging thermal power plants and replace them with nuclear plants based on site suitability, I think the need for energy storage will become much easier. Even though nuclear energy exists… one of the means of storage is hydrogen. If we integrate chemical storage methods with nuclear energy, greater penetration of renewable energy will take place,” Saraswat said.