Sanjay Jog
MUMBAI: Mobilising low-cost international finance was high on the agenda at a workshop with Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in Mumbai, where delegates from various organisations and subject experts gave valuable suggestions.
The workshop was held on the first day of the three-day Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting that began on May 15.
The discussions focused on ensuring access to finance to countries that would enable the scale-up and implementation of critical and emerging technologies such as battery storage, green hydrogen, offshore wind, bioenergy, and carbon capture utilisation.
A seminar on Just Transition Roadmap – saw an animated discussion on challenges faced in Just Transition in the coal sector, primarily in coal-dependent economies. The discussions covered lessons learnt from various countries in different aspects, namely, Institutional Governance, Repurposing land and infrastructural assets, enabling sharing of knowledge of successful initiatives taken worldwide and also for facilitating technological and financial assistance through collaborations.
At a separate seminar on Biofuels, experts focused on ways to accelerate development and deployment of biofuels, including new technologies through strengthening the alliance on collaboration and advancements in biofuel including creating a Global Biofuel Alliance.
The discussions and progress on the draft Ministerial Communique will be taken forward on the second day of the Meeting. The 3rd ETWG Meeting concludes on May 17.
It is expected that agreement and understanding among member countries will help in advancing the cause of global cooperation in clean energy transition.
