Mumbai, 15–17 May 2023: The 3rd Energy Transition Working Group Meeting (ETWG) under India’s Group of Twenty (G20) Presidency was held in Mumbai on 15–17 May 2023. More than 100 delegates representing G20 member countries, invitee nations, international organisations  such as International Energy Agency, World Bank, and World Energy Council India, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), International Solar Alliance discussed and deliberated on priority areas.

In his keynote address, Mr  Raosaheb Danve, Indian Union Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, touched upon the  six priority areas identified by India: energy transition through addressing technology gaps; low-cost financing for energy transition; energy security and diversified supply chains; energy efficiency, industrial low-carbon transitions, and responsible consumption;  fuels for the future; and universal access to clean energy and a fair, affordable, and inclusive energy transition pathway.

Mr Alok Kumar, ETWG Chair and Secretary, and India’s Minister of Power, chaired the meeting with Ministry Secretary of New and Renewable Energy Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Ministry Secretary of Mines Vivek Bharadwaj, and Indian Coal Ministry Secretary Amrit Lal Meena.

The talks, side events, and deliberations were follow-up events to the two initial ETWG gatherings held in Bengaluru and Gandhinagar, India, where five seminars were held:  low-cost international finance, just transition roadmap, biofuels, off-shore wind, decarbonise had-to-abate sectors, small modular reactors (SMRs) for clean energy transition, and acceleration of energy efficiency and promotion of energy-efficient life.

Heading the ERIA delegation was Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, ERIA’s Director for Research Strategy and Innovations, who  presented interventions on the thematic areas of low-cost finance for energy transition and the role of SMRs in the energy transition. He emphasised the catalytic role of the public sector in engaging and attracting private sectors and project developers under conditions that ensure low-cost capital. He said harnessing SMRs is capital intensive, and that public investments alone are unlikely to fulfil SMR potentials in meeting decarbonisation targets. He added that it is imperative that regulations, codes, and safety standards for emerging technologies that have global value chains be quickly harmonised.  The side events aimed to determine joint actions that can encourage shared, equitable, and inclusive growth as identified by the community, and high-level deliverables.

The participants discussed the draft communiqué and the high-level principles on hydrogen. Whilst agreeing on the principles, opinions differed in defining the issues and prioritising the agreed issues on energy security and geopolitics, and the establishment of an international centre on green  hydrogen. The meeting agreed to continue discussions for endorsement to the 4th ETWG and Energy Ministerial Meeting scheduled on 19–22 July 2023.

Details of the meeting are available at   https://www.g20.org/en/media-resources/press-releases/may-2023/etwg-concludes/