India and the US have agreed to give impetus to sustainable aviation fuel, promote electrification of medium and heavy-duty vehicles and use of hydrogen in buses, tractors and heavy equipment, said a joint statement issued after the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership dialogue between the two nations.
The two nations "welcomed increased investment in each country's clean energy markets," according to the statement issued after the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) Ministerial convened by US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri in Washington DC on Monday.
"While recognising the need to work towards a just, orderly and sustainable energy transition, which prioritises access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy supplies, the (two) sides welcomed the important role that energy trade plays in supporting the national priorities of both countries," the statement said.
The two countries highlighted the importance of modernising the power distribution sector to supply 24x7 reliable power to consumers, welcomed support for India's smart metering deployment, as well as expanded efforts on inverter-based resources, power market reforms, system inertia estimation, and cybersecurity.
The ministers also commended the Indian Railways efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and welcomed collaboration to support India's first round-the-clock renewable energy procurement of over 1.5 GW and development of an energy efficiency policy and action plan for all railway facilities.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is an alternative fuel made from non-petroleum feedstocks that reduces emissions from air transportation. It can be produced from non-petroleum-based renewable feedstocks, including the food and yard waste portion of municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats/greases/oils, and other feedstocks. SAF can be blended in jet fuel to cut carbon dioxide emissions.