DATA STORY : India Energy Outlook

Published
6th Jan, 2022

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What is India Energy Outlook 2021?

The India Energy Outlook 2021 is a new special report from the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook series. The report explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for India as it seeks to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to a growing population.

India Energy Outlook provides a coherent framework in which India’s options can be assessed.
It explores the key factors that will drive energy demand in India, including urbanisation, buildings, transport and industries.
It looks at aspects of energy supply, including transformations in the power sector, the potential for natural gas in India’s economy, and the role of bioenergy and coal in a rapidly changing energy system.
It also explores the implications of developments in energy on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

India’s Energy Status according to the outlook

India is the world’s third largest energy consuming country, thanks to rising incomes and improving standards of living.
Energy consumption has more than doubled since 2000, propelled upwards by a growing population – soon to be the world’s largest – and a period of rapid economic growth.
Near‐universal household access to electricity was achieved in 2019, meaning that over 900 million citizens have gained an electrical connection in less than two decades.

Major findings of the Energy Outlook 2021

Prior to the global pandemic, India’s energy demand was projected to increase by almost 50% between 2019 and 2030, but growth over this period is now closer to 35% in the STEPS, and 25% in the Delayed Recovery.
An expanding economy, population, urbanisation and industrialisation mean that India sees the largest increase in energy demand of any country, across all of our scenarios to
Solar power is set for explosive growth in India, matching coal’s share in the Indian power generation mix within two decades in the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) or even sooner in the Sustainable Development Scenario.
India’s electricity demand is set to increase much more rapidly than its overall energy
Energy demand for road transport in the STEPS is projected to more than double over the next two decades, although this growth is cut dramatically in the Sustainable Development
In the STEPS, India exceeds the goals set out in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
The market for natural gas is growing fast in India, but its role varies by sector, by scenario and over time. The 6% share of natural gas in India’s current energy mix is among the lowest in the world.
India’s combined import bill for fossil fuels triples over the next two decades in the STEPS, with oil by far the largest component, pointing to continued risks to India’s energy security.
A 50% rise in India’s CO2 emissions to 2040 is the largest of any country in the STEPS, even though India’s per capita CO2 emissions remain well below the global average.