Page 180 - CW E-Magazine (17-9-2024)

Special Report

Formidable challenges on India’s energy front

and workarounds

t is generally said that energy con- increasing by ~7%
sumption level is an indication of per annum and conse- N.S. VENKATARAMAN
Iindustrial, economic and social quently, imports have Director
conditions in society. This is so since to increase at the same Nandini Consultancy Centre
use of energy is essential for indus- rate. Chennai
trial, agricultural, services, transport, Email: nsvenkatchennai@gmail.com
power and other sectors, growth of The global prices
which would inevitably refl ect on eco- of crude oil and natural gas fl uctuate warming, which can lead to several
nomic growth and social development. due to geopolitical factors and any disastrous consequences.
sharp increase causes serious prob-
With impressive growth of Indian lems for India due to heavy outfl ow of India has committed to achieving
economy, particularly in the last ten foreign exchange. zero emissions of these noxious gases
years, energy consumption has been by the year 2070, which means that the
steadily increasing in the country. To Unlike oil and natural gas, India use of petroleum-based fuels and coal
generate energy, fuel is required. The has large deposits of coal, which is will have to be completely stopped.
major source of fuel is currently crude an alternate fuel. During the last few In the present conditions, it is diffi cult
oil, natural gas and coal. years, domestic production of coal to visualize such a scenario!
has increased signifi cantly with pro-
Requirement of fossil fuels duction likely to reach 1,000-mt per Alternate eco-friendly fuels
India is heavily dependent on annum in the next few years. This has While the energy challenges facing
imports of crude oil and natural gas come about due to several proactive India are daunting, there are oppor-
for use as energy source. measures and policies initiated by the tunities to overcome the impending
Government of India during the last energy crisis and reduce the generation
India’s present requirement of ten years. Around 60% of power gene- of noxious gases.
crude oil is annually around 250-mt ration in India is done by using coal
and domestic production is only as fuel. Government of India has taken
around 30-mt. Therefore, around several measures to develop and
220-mt of crude oil is being imported Environmental issues install capacity for generation of alter-
each year. Crude oil and natural gas are used nate energy that do not use fossil fuel.
as feedstock for production of several However, it is doubtful whether these
India’s present annual requirement derivatives and for the production of alternate energy sources can completely
of natural gas is around 75-bcm (billion fuels such as diesel, furnace oil and eliminate use of fossil fuels.
cubic metres) and domestic pro- petrol. Use of these fossil fuels for
duction is only around 35-bcm. There- transportation and as fuel in industrial Renewable energy (solar, wind and
fore, around 40-bcm of natural gas process operations and for power gene- hydro power)
is being imported, mainly in the form ration leads to emission of noxious During the last ten years, capa-
of liquefi ed natural gas (LNG). gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur city for renewable energy, particularly
dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. solar and wind, have substantially
Domestic production of crude oil increased and now is around 185-GW.
and natural gas has been virtually stag- Use of coal as fuel for generation India has targeted to increase the
nant during the last several years and of power and for other purposes also installed capacity for renewable energy
is likely to increase only marginally in results in emission of such noxious to 500-GW by 2030. In the fi nancial
the coming years, in spite of govern- gases. year ending March 31, 2024 (FY24),
ment’s proactive policies to increase capacity generation for renewable
output. In contrast, the consumption These noxious gases upset climate power increased by 4%, compared to
of crude oil and natural gas is steadily conditions adversely and cause global the previous year’s closing.

180 Chemical Weekly September 17, 2024

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