India and Netherlands sign MoU, agree to enhance cooperation in renewable energy

New Delhi: The Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, today gave the green light to intensifying cooperation between India and the Netherlands on renewable energy. The Minister presided over a ceremony where the Dutch Ambassador Alphonsus Stoelinga and the Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Satish Balram Agnihotri, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Under this agreement, an Indo Dutch Joint Working Group will be set up and the exchange of technical and institutional knowledge on clean energy will be facilitated.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Abdullah welcomed the decision of both the governments to enhance their cooperation in the Renewable Energy sector and hoped that the signing of the Memorandum would be a just the beginning of a symbiotic and mutually beneficial wave of cooperation in the clean energy sector. The Dutch Ambassador emphasized that both their countries have similar ambitions and face similar challenges in realizing clean energy options in the respective countries. He hoped that the MoU would encourage cooperation not only at the official and governmental levels but also between leading Indian and Dutch private companies and research institutions. A number of private companies including DSM, Thermax India and PwC were also present on the occasion.

Dr. Abdullah also spoke about the energy situation in India and the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector in India. He spoke of India’s plans to add over 30 GW of renewable energy to its energy mix in the next 5 years. He dwelt on the success of the wind programme as well as the significant cost reductions in solar energy through the JawaharlalNehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). He also highlighted India’s conducive and investor friendly policy framework for promoting renewable energy in a big way. Dr. Abdullah suggested that India and Netherlands had great potential for enhancing cooperation in promoting renewable energy and offered to provide all possible assistance for the purpose.