ABU DHABI, Jan 15 (Reuters) – India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are near a “major agreement” on a renewable power interconnection between the 2 international locations, India’s Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy stated on Sunday.

Raj Kumar Singh, who’s visiting the Gulf Arab oil producer for the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) meeting in Abu Dhabi, of which India is presently president, advised Reuters the settlement was awaiting ultimate approvals. He didn’t elaborate on a timeframe.

“There is a major agreement for an interconnection between the UAE electricity grid, and the Indian grid,” Singh stated, including that this could be underneath the One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative by a gaggle of nations to create renewable power networks.

“Both sides have agreed,” he stated. “We believe it will come.”

The OSOWOG initiative, first proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, goals to switch renewable power energy by means of connecting grids.

Singh stated the UAE has additionally indicated it wish to make investments extra in India’s renewable power tasks, together with photo voltaic and wind.

India and the UAE additionally signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Jan. 13 on inexperienced hydrogen improvement, produced utilizing renewable power, India’s embassy within the UAE stated on Twitter on Friday.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation declined to supply a right away remark.

Last 12 months, the Gulf state concluded a broad trade agreement with India that goals to extend bilateral non-oil commerce to $100 billion within the subsequent 5 years.

Singh gave his backing to the UAE as host for the COP28 local weather convention this 12 months and in addition helps Sultan Al Jaber, who’s head of state oil firm ADNOC and the UAE’s local weather envoy, as president-designate of COP28.

Jaber’s appointment drew criticism from some activists involved about fossil gasoline pursuits hijacking the worldwide response to the environmental disaster.

“He (Jaber) is the point man for renewables, for climate change,” the Indian minister stated. “When you look at energy transition you look at the whole energy sector, the whole basket, and in the oil and gas sector too, he’s been working on green initiatives.”

Jaber can be the UAE’s minister of trade and superior expertise and helped to ascertain Abu Dhabi’s renewable power agency Masdar in 2006.

The UAE and different Gulf power producers have referred to as for a practical transition by which hydrocarbons would maintain a job in power safety whereas making commitments to decarbonisation.

Reporting by Rachna Uppal. Editing by Jane Merriman

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