‘Balancing Energy and Green Security a Policy Dilemma’, Indian Express, 15th December

Tech Admin at December 19, 2014

Balancing Energy and Green Security a Policy Dilemma’

By Express News Service

Published: 15th December 2014 06:02 AM

KOCHI: The key aspects of India’s Energy Security are expanding people’s access to energy and having reliable supply of electricity, said Tom Cutler, former director of the Office of European and Asia Pacific Affairs at the US Department of Energy.

He was speaking at the International Energy Conference, organised by US Consulate General, Chennai, in association with the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), in Kochi on Friday. He said that India in its quest to secure natural gas had recently turned towards the US, which is an emerging exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas.

Cutler, who was instrumental in developing various key programmes by the US in energy cooperation with India and South Asia, said that a common policy dilemma for India was to balance energy security and environmental security, given that the country uses a lot of coal. Inaugurating the conference, former Indian Ambassador to the United Nations T P Sreenivasan said that international climate treaties like the Paris Conference-2015 required all countries to adhere to the basic emission and pollution norms.

“This calls for the need to find alternative sources of energy as people around the world are moving towards it. India also needs to develop non-fossil fuel sources if it has to emerge as a strong nation,” he pointed out.

Andie De Arment, Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Consulate General, Chennai, said US President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had entered into a new and enhanced strategic partnership on energy security, clean energy, and climate change during the latter’s visit to the US.

‘India Energy: The Struggle for Power’, a book by Raymond Vickery who played a crucial role in the passage of the US-India civil nuclear agreement, was released.

CPPR chairman D Dhanuraj and Academic director K C Abraham also spoke.

India-U.S. energy conference in Kochi from Friday

The Hindu, KOCHI, December 11, 2014

The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai and the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) are jointly organising an international conference on ‘Energy security challenges in India’ in the city on December 12 and 13.

Former Ambassador and permanent representative of India to the United Nations and governor for India at the International Atomic Energy Agency T.P. Srinivasan will inaugurate the seminar.

Tom Cutler, director of Cutler International LLC, who was instrumental in the development of major U.S. programmes in energy cooperation and investment with India and South Asia, will deliver the keynote address. Cultural Affairs officer of the US Consulate Andie De Arment will speak.

‘India Energy: The Struggle for Power’ written by Raymond Vickery, a leading advisor on US-India relations and a central figure in the passage of the US-India civil nuclear agreement, will be released at the conference.

Since 2009, the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) has mobilised nearly $2.4 billion in public and private clean energy finance to support India’s clean energy goals and $125 million for research on solar, biofuels, and energy efficient buildings through the U.S.-India Clean Energy Research and Development Centre.

Speakers at the conference include former Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board Chairman A. Gopalakrishnan.

US, Indian govt working ‘closely together’ than ever before

DEC 13, 2014

PTI

Kochi, Dec 12 (PTI) India and the US are working “more broadly” and “closely together” than ever before, Andie De Arment, Cultural Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Chennai said today.

At a two-day International Conference on ‘Energy Security Challenges in India’, which began here, she said energy and climate change is just one area the two governments are cooperating in.

“I am not overstating things when I say our two governments are working more broadly and closely together than ever before. This type of whole of government engagements between our countries is unprecedented in US-India relations.”

Since 2009, the US-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy has mobilised nearly USD 2.4 billion in public and private clean energy finance to support India’s clean energy goals and USD 125 million for research on solar, biofuels, and energy efficient buildings through the US-India Clean Energy Research and Development Centre, a US Consulate release said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama had at their summit on September 30 extolled the broad strategic partnership between the two countries, she said, adding, both agreed to a new and enhanced strategic partnership on energy security, clean energy, and climate change recognizing the critical importance of energy access, among others.

TP Srinivasan, former Permanent Representative of India to the UN, who inaugurated the conference, said “International climate treaties such as the 2015 Paris conference require all countries to adhere to basic norms in emission and pollution. This also necessitates the need to find alternate sources of energy.”

Raymond Vickery, Senior Director Albright Stonebridge Group, said “Indian energy crisis requires a continuation and extension of economic reforms in the energy and power sectors. Without adequate energy, Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ and the return to growth adequate to alleviate poverty will not occur.”

His recent book, ‘India Energy: The Struggle for Power’ was released during the conference, being organised by US Consulate General Chennai in association with Kochi-based Centre for Public Policy Research.

Tom Cutler, Director, Cutler International,formerly of the US Department of Energy, said a common policy dilemma “is how to balance energy security with environmental security, especially in nations that use a lot of coal such as India, the US and China.”

PTI

Interview of Ms Andie DeArment, Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai in The Hindu on December 14th, 2014. She was in town for the conference organised by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR)