India Energy Security Scenarios 2047

NITI Aayog in 2015 launched the second version of the India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 calculator (IESS 2047), an open source web-based tool. The tool aims to explore a range of potential future energy scenarios for India, for diverse energy demand and supply sectors leading up to 2047. It explores India’s possible energy scenarios across energy supply sectors such as solar, wind, bio fuels, oil, gas, coal and nuclear and energy demand sectors such as transport, industry, agriculture, cooking and lighting appliances. The model allows users to interactively make energy choices, and explore a range of outcomes for the country-from carbon dioxide emissions and import dependence to land use. The purpose of the IESS tool is to engage various stakeholders in the country’s energy planning and facilitate informed debates at different levels.

The National Energy Policy (NEP)

The Government’s think tank, NITI Aayog in 2017 released new draft National Energy Policy (NEP). The NEP focuses on four major objectives: Affordable energy access for all; reducing dependence on fossil-fuel imports; becoming a low carbon economy through growth in renewable energy; and sustaining economic growth.

• The policy will replace the Integrated Energy Policy (IEP) framed by the erstwhile Planning Commission in 2008.
• It aims to chart the way forward to meet the Government’s recent bold announcements in the energy domain:
  • All the Census villages are planned to be electrified by 2018.
  • Universal electrification is to be achieved with 24x7 electricity by 2022.
  • The Ministry of Petroleum is targeting reduction of oil imports by 10% from 2014-15 levels by 2022.

Need for the New Energy Policy (NEP)

• Energy is handled by different Ministries.
• All Ministries have the primary responsibility of setting their own sectoral agenda.
• A common energy policy is required to achieve the goal of energy security through coordination between these sources.
• NEP will mainstream emerging energy technologies.
• It will provide consumer energy choices.