Minister of New and Renewable Energy R.K. Singh introduced the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha on December 8. The Lok Sabha had passed Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2022 August 9, 2022.
- The Minister stated that the non-fossil fuel capacity was 42% of the total energy generation. To address the transition to clean energy, the Bill had been brought.
- For petroleum refining, India uses hydrogen drawn from natural gas. The idea is to replace natural gas. To stop carbon emission, India will use green hydrogen gas.
- Similarly India makes ammonia from natural gas, both ammonia and natural gas are imported, India intend to replace that with green hydrogen, that is why this Bill is required.
Salient features
- The Bill provides for setting up Carbon markets.
- The Bill seeks to mandate the use of non-fossil sources, including green hydrogen, green ammonia, biomass and ethanol for energy and feedstock.
- The amendments aim to promote renewable energy and the development of a domestic carbon market to battle climate change and help in achieving sustainable development goals in line with the Paris Agreement.
- The Bill includes bringing large residential buildings within the fold of the energy conservation regime, enhancing the scope of Energy Conservation Building Code, and strengthening the governing council of Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
- It also proposes to enhance the scope of Energy Conservation Building Code and bring large residential buildings within the ambit of energy conservation regime.
- Another key amendment is empowering the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions to make regulations for smooth discharge of its functions.
- Amidst growing energy needs and changing global climate landscape, the Centre has identified new areas to achieve higher levels of penetration of renewable energy.
- Along with the proposal to increase members in the governing council of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, the bill, also seeks to empower the Bureau to make regulations regarding the agency which may be authorised to carry out the functions of the bureau and the technical qualification to test samples.
- The bill said that state governments shall constitute a fund to be called the ‘State Energy Conservation Fund’ for the purposes of promotion of efficient use of energy and its conservation within the state.
- The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill aims to make it mandatory for buildings with a minimum connected load of 100 kW to meet their energy requirements from renewable sources.
- By adopting energy efficiency measures, India holds a potential to reduce about 550 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030.
- Under the regulatory framework for carbon credit trading, the union government or any agency authorized by it may issue carbon credit certificate to the registered entity which complies with the requirements of the carbon credit trading scheme
