Industry
India to come up with mitigation action for high carbon-emitting sectors like steel, cement, refineries, fertilisers
Summary
The Indian government is gearing up for significant carbon emission reductions in industries through innovative technologies like carbon capture and clean coal. With a commitment to net-zero emissions by 2070, this initiative is crucial for the country's climate goals.
New Delhi: The Union government plans to come up with mitigation action based on carbon capture and clean coal for industries that are among the biggest emitters of gases that cause global warming, Niti Aayog member V. K. Saraswat said in an interview.
“We are certainly looking at mitigation actions for sectors which are difficult. For example, the industry sector, which is difficult to mitigate, like steel plants, cement plants, refineries, fertilisers plants. These consume huge power, and they are big guzzlers. So, we are looking at how to reduce their carbon emissions. That’s why we are talking about CCUS (carbon capture, utilisation and storage) and clean coal technology," Saraswat toldMint, declining to share any details.
The action plan comes as India and 197 other member-countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) prepare to submit their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions by February. The third round of NDCs must bring global greenhouse gas emissions in 2035 to levels consistent with the 1.5°C pathway and India, the fourth-largest global emitter of greenhouse gases, is no exception.
Failure to increase goals in the new NDCs and start delivering immediately will put the world on course for a temperature increase of 2.6-3.1°C above pre-industrial age levels over the course of this century. This will have a debilitating impact on people, the planet and economies, the United Nations Environment Programme said in a report published in October.
In August 2022, the Indian government revised its NDCs, raising its ambition to a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emission intensity by 2030 from 2005 levels, and achieving net zero emissions by 2070. Emissions refer to the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by a country, while emission intensity is the amount of such gases produced per unit of activity or output.
Capture, use, store
In 2023, the power sector (electricity production) remained the largest global contributor to emissions at 15.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (GtCO2e), followed by transport (8.4 GtCO2e), agriculture (6.5 GtCO2e) and industry (6.5 GtCO2e).
A NITI Aayog report, titled ‘Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage Policy Framework and its Deployment Mechanism in India’, which was released in November 2022, explores the importance of carbon capture, utilisation and storage as an emission-reduction strategy to achieve deep decarbonisation from the hard-to-abate sectors that contribute 40% of emissions.
With the potential for India to reach a CCUS capacity of 750 million metric tonnes per year by 2050, there can be a variety of opportunities to convert captured carbon dioxide to value-added products like green urea, food and beverage form application, building material (concrete and aggregates), chemicals (methanol and ethanol), polymers (including bio-plastics) and enhanced oil recovery, with wide market opportunities, thus contributing substantially to a circular economy, according to a government statement.
Saraswat said there are many opportunities for energy storage in India. According to the ministry of new and renewable energy, energy storage systems (ESS) can be used to store available energy from renewable energy and can be used during peak hours.
“Decarbonisation and the high renewable penetration reducing emissions and energy independence allow consumers to store and use self-generated energy, decreasing grid reliance… India could reduce about 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by storing renewable energy," the Niti Aayog member said.
Peak shaving (a strategy for eliminating demand spikes by reducing electricity consumption through battery energy storage systems or other means), load shifting, extreme weather conditions, peak demand, and costly additional power can be handled through energy storage, he said.
“States like Karnataka and Gujarat are already using ESS," he added.
Asked if there will be sector-specific targets, Saraswat said, “We don’t set a target – we only promote policies."
The CCUS policy or technology is steered by the power ministry. Saraswat said the key factors are reducing the use of coal to generate electricity by the 2070s and expanding India’s nuclear energy programme.
“If we can take care of all the aging thermal power plants and replace them with nuclear power plants based upon the suitability of the site, I think the energy storage requirements will become much easier. While nuclear power is there… one storage medium is hydrogen. If we integrate chemical storage methods with nuclear power, more renewable penetration will take place," Saraswat said.
