A Necessity for 1.4 Billion People
Five times the size of Paris. Visible from space. The world’s biggest energy plant. Enough electricity to power Switzerland.
The scale of the project transforming swathes of barren salt desert on the edge of western India into one of the most important sources of clean energy anywhere on the planet is so overwhelming that the man in charge can’t keep up.
“I don’t even do the math any more,” Sagar Adani told CNN in an interview last week.
Adani is executive director of Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL). He’s also the nephew of Gautam Adani, Asia’s second richest man, whose $100 billion fortune stems from the Adani Group, India’s biggest coal importer and a leading miner of the dirty fuel. Founded in 1988, the conglomerate has businesses in fields ranging from ports and thermal power plants to media and cements.
Its clean energy unit AGEL is building the sprawling solar and wind power plant in the western Indian state of Gujarat at a cost of about $20 billion. It will be the world’s biggest renewable park when it is finished in about five years, and should generate enough clean electricity to power 16 million Indian homes.
The success of the Khavda Renewable Energy Park is critical to India’s efforts to reduce pollution and hit its climate goals while meeting the burgeoning energy needs of the world’s most populous nation and fastest-growing major economy. Coal still accounts for 70% of the electricity India generates.
Both Sides of the Street
The conglomerate’s green plans are impressive, but climate experts are critical of its continued massive investments in fossil fuels.
“[Gautam] Adani continues to walk both sides of the street,” said Tim Buckley, director of Sydney-based think tank Climate Energy Finance.
The Adani Group is not only one of the largest developers and operators of coal mines in India, but also operates the controversial Carmichael Coal Mine in Australia, which has faced fierce opposition from climate change campaigners who say it is a “death sentence” for the Great Barrier Reef.
“Rather than ploughing billions into new fossil fuel projects, India would be far better served if Adani put 100% of its efforts and resources into developing low-cost zero emissions technologies,” Buckley added.
That is not an option at the moment, said Adani.
More than 600 million people in India will be “coming into middle income and upper income over the next decade, decade and a half,” he said. “They cannot be deprived of basic needs of energy.”
Everyone would be happy if we could “have a 100% of that being provided from sustainable energy sources …[but]… practically, that’s not an option” at the moment, he added.
He also said that activists in developed nations, which have historically emitted more greenhouse gases, are often unable to understand the staggering challenge facing India to grow its economy and its clean energy industry at the same time.
“I think it’s also very important to respect the fact that every country has its own right to make sure that the people of their own country are well-served from an energy perspective,” Adani said.
“So is India doing a bit of coal? Yes, of course India is. But is India doing a massive amount of renewables? Yes, there’s no question,” he added.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article:
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13: Climate Action
Specific Targets Based on the Article’s Content:
- SDG 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
- SDG 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable
- SDG 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities
- SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article:
- Investment in clean energy projects
- Percentage of renewable energy in India’s energy mix
- Capacity of non-fossil fuel electricity generation by AGEL
- Total electricity demand from residential air conditioners
- Reduction in carbon emissions from coal-fired thermal capacity
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix | – Investment in clean energy projects – Percentage of renewable energy in India’s energy mix |
| SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable | – Investment in clean energy projects – Capacity of non-fossil fuel electricity generation by AGEL |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities | – Investment in clean energy projects – Reduction in carbon emissions from coal-fired thermal capacity |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | – Investment in clean energy projects – Reduction in carbon emissions from coal-fired thermal capacity |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: cnn.com
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