Three days after India declared its pledge to expand the share of non-fossil fuel energy to 40 per cent by 2030, India and Germany formed the Climate and Renewable Energy Alliance, with the arrival of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in India on Monday.
The two countries agreed on the India Germany Climate and Renewable Energy Alliance — a comprehensive partnership to harness technology, innovation and finance in order to make affordable, clean and renewable energy accessible to all and to foster climate change mitigation efforts in both countries with a long-term vision and a comprehensive agenda of combating climate change. Germany has committed to providing an assistance of over 1 billion Euros for India’s Green Energy Corridor and a new assistance package of over 1 billion Euros for solar projects in India. The partner country also intends to deepen research cooperation in clean and renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address after Ms. Merkel’s arrival outlined German cooperation and assistance in areas such as smart cities, Clean Ganga and waste management. “I admire German leadership in clean energy and commitment to combating climate change. This is an area where we have convergence of views, and rapidly growing cooperation,” Mr. Modi said. “To contain temperature rise, we must also change our temperament,” he noted.
Pushkal Upadhyay, Director, National Mission for Clean Ganga, told The Hindu that India will receive technical assistance of 3 million Euros for developing the Ganga region, focussing on wastewater treatment, preparation of Detailed Project Report and technical assistance to be provided by German international development firm GIZ. Another 120 million Euros worth of bilateral aid will focus on developing the Clean Ganga project in Uttarakhand, and priority tasks are being discussed, he said.
The joint secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) signed a loan agreement for the green corridor to pass through Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh with the German development bank KfW Bankengruppe.
According to an Indo-German joint statement on climate change and energy technology cooperation, implementation of the Green Energy Corridors Partnership with an overall German commitment of 1.15 billion Euros in the last two years is progressing well.
Both countries welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding on an Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership based on concessional loans in the range of 1 billion Euros over the next 5 years.
India and Germany have underlined that adaptation must be a central part of a balanced Paris Agreement. Both countries will endeavour to continue their long-lasting cooperation in integrating adaptation into national and state development planning and action.