India’s long-term strategy to transition to a ‘low emissions’ pathway involves more nuclear power, more ethanol

Subject: Environment

Context-

India announced its long-term strategy to transition to a “low emissions” pathway at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) ongoing in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, which is premised on expanding its nuclear power capacity by at least three-fold in the next decade, apart from becoming an international hub for producing green hydrogen and increasing the proportion of ethanol in petrol.

What are India’s LT-LEDS (Long-term low emission development strategies)-

Among 195- member countries only 57 countries have submitted their long-term document, including India.
Maximise the use of electric vehicles, with ethanol blending to reach 20% by 2025 (currently 10%) and a strong shift to public transport for passenger and freight traffic.
Focus on improving energy efficiency by the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, the National Hydrogen Mission, increasing electrification, enhancing material efficiency, and recycling and ways to reduce emissions.
India’s forest and tree cover are a net carbon sink absorbing 15% of CO2 emissions in 2016, and the country is on track to fulfilling its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) commitment of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of additional carbon sequestration in forest and tree cover by 2030.

PAT scheme-

It is a market-based mechanism to further accelerate as well as incentivize energy efficiency in the large energy-intensive industries.
The Energy Savings Certificates (ESCerts) were introduced in India in 2011 under the PAT by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the National Mission of Energy Efficiency.
NMEEE is one of the eight national missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) launched by the Government of India in the year 2008.

Energy Savings Certificates (ESCerts):

This market- based mechanism is facilitated through the trading of Energy Savings Certificates (ESCerts) which are issued to those plants who have overachieved their targets.
The underachievers are entitled to purchase ESCerts through two power exchanges – Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL).
Industries that take part in this scheme are referred to as designated shoppers (DC).

Sectors Covered:

PAT covered about 13 energy-intensive sectors: Thermal power plants (TPP), cement, aluminium, iron and steel, pulp and paper, fertiliser, chlor-alkali, petroleum refineries, petrochemicals, distribution companies, railways, textile and commercial buildings (hotels and airports).

Other initiatives to Promote Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency: