Strong Planning & Industrial Push Crucial For India’s Energy Transition: WEC Chief

New Delhi, Nov 7 (KNN) India’s ability to sustain high economic growth will depend on transforming its industrial base and energy system, according to Adnan Amin, Chairman, World Energy Council (WEC) and former CEO, COP28.

In an interaction with ANI, Amin said India has demonstrated strong momentum in renewable energy deployment and now needs to deepen its push on industrialisation, technological innovation and ecosystem-building to accelerate the energy transition. 

“All of the various elements that could enable India to do that are in place,” he noted, emphasising that expansion of renewables has already grown dramatically and helped democratise energy access.

Drawing a comparison with China’s rapid clean-energy scale-up, Amin said Beijing’s progress was driven by long-term industrial policy, while India can achieve similar acceleration by adopting a strong planning framework that incentivises investment and ensures affordable energy for underserved populations.

“With the energy demand that exists in India, rapid growth can happen, but it will require reliance on planning,” he said, adding that India’s scientific and technological capabilities position it well to pursue this transformation.

Amin also highlighted artificial intelligence as a key catalyst for efficiency and modernisation in the energy sector, describing its impact as potentially ‘revolutionary’ and comparable to the shift from landline to mobile telephony. 

AI, he said, offers significant opportunities for developing countries to plan and manage future-ready energy systems, and India’s advances in the field give it a strong advantage.

(KNN Bureau)