India wary of G20 energy roadmap move

NEW DELHI: Should the G20 be allowed to dictate an energy roadmap to India – what technologies to adopt and at what cost? The government has turned wary of a move by the G20’s sub-group on Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency, which is slated to present a roadmap on how to turn the country’s power sector green and climate friendly.

Due in September, the roadmap would force the agenda on domestic power policy and make the country invest in expensive or untested clean technologies.

The group of 20 countries is an expansion of the powerful G8 grouping of developed countries with the emerging economies such as India and China on board. The G20 grouping has been actively pursuing issues of climate change and energy security since its formation.

But India has been cautious of letting the grouping, where developed countries still hold the upper hand, to dictate terms on subjects handled under the convention on climate change and energy policy. India and other developing countries have always found the UN climate convention – where decisions are taken by consensus – more comfortable to deal with.

Earlier too, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had stepped in the G20 process for end to energy subsidies and a global climate regime inimical to Indian interests. The ‘C3E’ sub-group of the G20 is expected to come up with country strategies and then a global report on what clean technologies can be pursued by various countries. If India were to be seen agreeing to it simply by accepting the report submitted to G20, it would become difficult to demand financial support for adopting such expensive technologies.