According to the IEA, prior to the global pandemic, India’s energy demand was projected to increase by almost 50 per cent between 2019 and 2030, but growth over this period will now be closer to 35 per cent in the stated policies scenario (STEPS), and 25 per cent in a delayed recovery scenario. “The latter would put some of India’s hard-won gains in the fight against energy poverty at risk, as lower-income households are forced to fall back on more polluting and inefficient sources of energy,” the IEA states.
The report, however, notes that India is set to experience the largest increase in energy demand amongst any country worldwide over the next 20 years as its economy continues to develop and bring greater prosperity to its citizens.
“India has made remarkable progress in recent years, bringing electricity connections to hundreds of millions of people and impressively scaling up the use of renewable energy, particularly solar,” says Dr Fatih Birol, executive director, IEA. “What our new report makes clear is the tremendous opportunity for India to successfully meet the aspirations of its citizens without following the high-carbon pathway that other economies have pursued in the past. The energy policy successes of the Indian government to date make me very optimistic about its ability to meet the challenges ahead in terms of energy security and sustainability.”
Download the report here