The first-ever India Kuwait Energy Forum was held today, Tuesday 24th August, at the Embassy of India and discussed various possibilities for India and Kuwait to work towards a better future in the Solar Energy sector. The event was held in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and with support from the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.
Inaugurating the session, Ambassador Shri Sibi George said that horizon of possibilities and opportunities is clearly visible for India and Kuwait to work towards a better future in this sector. Kuwait has a great potential for harnessing the development of solar energy for the world, Ambassador said. The Indian experience, expertise, manpower in the field of solar and renewable energy is available to take further bilateral cooperation in this sector, he added.
Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance (ISA) gave the keynote address. Dr. Mohammad Al- Ramadhan, Deputy Director General for Strategic Thrust Programs, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) addressed the Forum and gave an overview of Kuwait’s vision for renewable energy sector. Mr. Parag Sharma, Vice-Chairman, CII National Committee on Atmanirbhar Bharat - RE Manufacturing and Founder & CEO, O2 Power also spoke on the occasion.
A panel discussion on Unlocking the Full Potential of India – Kuwait Solar Energy Cooperation was organized during the forum. The panelists included Dr. Arun Kumar Tripathi, Adviser, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) & former DG, National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), India , Dr. Ayman Al-Qattan, Renewable Energy Programme Manager, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait, Shri Narinder Mohan Gupta, CGM (International Business), NTPC Ltd., India, Dr. Mohammed Sadeqi, Senior Advisor, Engineering, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), Mr. Saransh Roy, Senior Investment Specialist, Invest India, Dr. Yaser Abdulraheem, Managing Director, Kuwait University Semiconductor Research Facility, Kuwait , Mr. Ravi Verma, Strategic Affairs Head, Avaada, India, Mr. Pratik Desai, Chief Executive, Larsen & Toubro Kuwait.
India has set an ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW worth of renewable energy by the end of 2022, with a renewed target of 450 GW by 2030. This is the world's largest expansion plan in the renewable energy sector. India has achieved a milestone of 1,00,000 MW of installed Renewable Energy capacity, becoming only the 4th country in the world to do so. India has installed 45200 MW capacity of solar energy, witnessing seventeen times increase during the last 7 years. India is not just on par, but will surpass the commitments made under Paris Agreement.
The event witnessed enthusiastic response with stakeholders from India and Kuwait participating in the event, in person as well as virtually.