Energy Expert Panel Flags Data Gaps, Calls For Global Standards In India’s Energy Statistics

New Delhi, Jul 6 (KNN) The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Monday released the report of the Expert Committee on Energy Statistics, recommending the adoption of international standards and a harmonised methodology to address data gaps and inconsistencies in India's energy statistics database.

The committee, chaired by Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT-Delhi and comprising senior representatives from line energy ministries and domain experts from institutions including The Energy Research Institute (TERI) and the Alliance for Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), conducted a comprehensive review of the ‘Energy Statistics India’ publication and the country’s energy database.

MoSPI said the exercise was aimed at supporting evidence-based policymaking and facilitating effective monitoring of India's ongoing energy transition as the country progresses towards its renewable energy targets and Net Zero aspirations.

International Standards

The committee recommended adopting international standards in the collection and dissemination of energy statistics, with tabulation categories aligned to the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) Rev. 5, the National Industrial Classification (NIC)-2025, and the Standard International Energy-Product Classification (SIEC). 

It also called for uniform conversion factors to be adopted by all line energy ministries to ensure consistency across the statistics they produce, recommending in particular the conversion factors maintained by MoSPI in its annual ‘Energy Statistics India’ publication.

Addressing Data Gaps

The committee recommended a methodology, using the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) database, to refine sectoral end-use consumption data for imported coal — which accounts for around 20 per cent of India's total coal consumption — as well as domestic coal routed through auctions, both currently clubbed under a miscellaneous category. 

It also recommended that the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) develop and maintain a comprehensive database under the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, and proposed a similar ASI-based methodology to capture industry-wise end-use consumption of electricity.

On biofuels, the committee noted that in the absence of consolidated national-level data, the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) estimates biofuel consumption in India at around 31-34 per cent of the country's total annual energy consumption in its own World Energy Balance publication. 

It recommended a dedicated methodology, developed with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and TERI, to incorporate biofuel data into India's energy balance table.

The committee also proposed initial methodological frameworks to address gaps in capturing electricity consumption through captive or off-grid modes and consumption by electric vehicles, noting these would require further refinement by researchers and users before formal incorporation into the national energy balance database.

Resolving Inconsistencies

The report also flagged conceptual differences between the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and MoSPI in deriving per capita electricity consumption figures, recommending that both agencies explicitly state their respective methodologies to avoid confusion. 

It similarly addressed a methodological divergence between the CEA, Ministry of Power (MoP) and MoSPI over the average calorific value of coal used in power stations, recommending that the CEA and MoP adopt MoSPI's methodology, which uses the gross calorific value of coal at the loading or dispatch point.

MoSPI said effective implementation of the recommendations would require continued collaboration among all concerned ministries and stakeholders to build a more integrated, reliable and internationally comparable energy statistics framework for the country.

(KNN Bureau)