The Indian National
Science Academy (INSA) has come out with a policy brief proposing “A Unified
National Energy Policy Framework for India”. The policy brief/report highlights
that the energy governance in the country is fragmented across multiple
ministries, departments, regulators etc. This has resulted in different policy
frameworks for different sub-sectors of energy like electricity, renewable
energy, petroleum, natural gas, hydrogen, batteries, electric vehicles, climate
change etc. despite increasing interdependence among them. Aimed at achieving
self-reliance in energy by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070, INSA advocates
shifting away from siloed, fuel-specific policies and proposes a Unified
National Energy Policy Framework structured around four pillars – Adequacy,
Access, Affordability and Appropriate Sustainability.
The thought of shifting focus from individual
sub-sectors in energy to governance of energy eco-system as a whole, deserves
appreciation. India is currently pursuing very ambitious goals in renewable
energy, green hydrogen, battery storage, green mobility, decarbonization of
economy etc. simultaneously. Targets and policy decisions in one sector impacts
and influences decisions in other sectors. Therefore, policies and frameworks
designed for isolated sectors may not be sufficient for achieving and managing
goals of integrated energy economy.
The idea of unified policy architecture should
not, however, mean creation of a super ‘Ministry of Energy’. Indian
Constitution has consciously distributed powers between Centre and State and
place some sectors (e.g. electricity) in concurrent list. Also, over the years,
the specialized regulators, tribunals and ministries have developed significant
domain expertise. Therefore, what is presently required is integrated
governance through legally structured mechanisms for coordination among them.
An Integrated Energy Strategy at national level, which mandates statutory
consultation, data sharing and target setting among different sub-sectors can
achieve Unified National Energy Ecosystem without disturbing existing
constitutional and statutory arrangements. Moreover, such a discussion will
have important implications in emerging areas like Digital Public
Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence Regulation etc. where effective
governance will depend upon coordination among multiple specialized
institutions.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-unified-policy-architecture-for-indias-energy-uture/article71170896.ece
