Minister of New and Renewable Energy R.K. Singh introduced the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The Minister stated that the non-fossil fuel capacity was 42% of the total energy generation and in order to address the transition, the bill had been brought.
“For petroleum refining we use hydrogen drawn from natural gas. The idea is to replace natural gas. To stop carbon emission, we will use green hydrogen gas. We make ammonia from natural gas, both ammonia and natural gas are imported, we intend to replace that with green hydrogen, that is why this bill is required so that we can change the feedstock,” Mr. Singh said.
He said there was scope for energy-efficiency in the construction sector such as large multi-story buildings.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said though he supported the Bill, there were some concerns and contradictions in the government policy.
“The bill brings building codes for non-fossil fuel-based construction. It expands the extent of carbon footprint emanation. It creates agencies for issuing carbon credit certificates,” Mr. Singhvi said.
He added that it contradicted the government’s policy as it had reduced the subsidies on clean energy, and increased the taxes.
“I understand that you want to reduce the import of solar panels from Chinafor for which you have increased import duty but are you aware that many manufacturers import solar panel parts from China. It will not make India self-reliant,” Mr. Singhvi said.
Published - December 08, 2022 10:28 pm IST
