Paris Talks: All is well for India in deal, except coal line

India's coal plans came under repeated attack from developed nations and western media during the two-week climate change conference in Paris. India mostly agrees with the Paris agreement to make a transition to renewable energy. But the inclusion of one line in the article dealing with the deal's purpose might prove to be a big irritant in its plans to build coal-fired power plants   

That line, possibly introduced in the text with India in mind, says that one of the ways the purpose of the agreement could be achieved is by making global "finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient development". This line could be used to arm-twist India on its coal plans on the grounds that it was not pursuing a low-emission pathway.

Indian Express reports that, the sentence made its entry into the article in the penultimate draft that was released on Thursday night. In previous texts, it was embedded somewhere else. At that time, the language being used was that countries "should reduce international support for high-emission and maladaptive investments". India had said that it would contest that line and have it removed.

In a recent projection, the government had said it hoped to bring down its dependence on coal for electricity production from the current 61 per cent to 57 per cent in the year 2031-32. But during that time, India also hopes to ramp up its total electricity generation capacity from the existing 260 GW to somewhere upwards of 800 GW. By that year, the contribution of renewable energy - solar, wind and biogas - in total electricity generation was projected to grow to 29 per cent from the current 12 per cent.

According to 5MM News, But while there could be problems on account of coal, some other provisions in the Paris Agreement can open financial avenues for India to fund the grand Solar Alliance project. 

The Solar Alliance seeks to bring sunlight-rich countries in the tropical areas to switch to solar energy in a big way. Through a massive push in demand, standardization and R&D, it is hoped that the Solar Alliance will drive down the costs of solar power generation even further. India, which launched the alliance during the Paris conference, is hosting its administrative infrastructure. 

Business Standard says that, as a developing world negotiator summed it up on the last night of Paris talks, "This is a battle of attrition. But the final terms have not been set at Paris. Through the next four years, as the rules and decisions regarding the Paris agreement evolve, we shall see the developed countries trying to gain what they were unable to achieve in 2015. Seeking to slow down this attrition is the process of ensuring our developing space."

While India has embarked on an ambitious renewable energy pathway, coal is likely to remain its primary source of energy for the next couple of decades at least. India is a developing nation; it will take time and technology advancements to make required transition to renewable energy pathway.