On 9th February, 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released the India Energy Outlook 2021 report.
The India Energy Outlook is based on detailed modelling of a set of scenarios exploring how India’s energy sector might evolve between now and 2040.
Key Findings
India is a major force in the global energy economy. Energy consumption has more than doubled since 2000, propelled upwards by a growing population and a period of rapid economic growth.
The Covid‐19 pandemic has disrupted India’s energy use with fall of about 5% in the country’s energy demand in 2020 due to lockdowns and related restrictions, with coal and oil use suffering the biggest falls.
The pandemic has also hit investment in the energy sector, which fell by an estimated 15% in 2020.
Over 80% of India’s energy needs are met by three fuels: coal, oil and solid biomass with coal being the largest single fuel in the energy mix. Biomass, primarily fuelwood, makes up a declining share of the energy mix, but is still widely used as a cooking fuel.
India is the third-largest emitter of CO2 in the world, despite low per capita CO2 emissions.
Particulate matter emissions emerged as one of India’s most sensitive social and environmental issues and the year 2019 witnessed over one million premature deaths related to ambient and household air pollution.
