The India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership (REP)
The partnership between India and Australia aims to scale up renewable energy endeavors while reducing dependence on China for critical materials. This collaboration was initiated by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese, focusing on practical projects and capacity building.
Context and Significance
- Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, visits India amidst global supply chain vulnerabilities.
- The Indo-Pacific region faces significant climate change impacts, with projections indicating up to 89 million people could be displaced by 2050.
- India aims to reach 500 GW of non-fossil electricity by 2030, with significant progress already made.
- Australia targets a 62%-70% reduction in emissions below 2005 levels by 2035.
Challenges and Opportunities
- China's dominance in refining over 90% of rare earth elements and producing nearly 80% of global solar modules poses reliance risks.
- India faces challenges in sectors like electric mobility and wind power due to reliance on imports.
- Australia, despite being a major lithium producer, lacks large-scale refining and downstream manufacturing.
Strategic Imperatives
- Addressing downstream processing, diversification, and supply chain resilience is critical to reducing reliance on China.
- The partnership focuses on eight cooperation areas: solar PV technology, green hydrogen, energy storage, and more.
- A Track 1.5 Dialogue is proposed to foster collaboration between policymakers, industry, and research institutions.
Complementary Strengths
- Australia offers a stable regulatory environment and critical mineral resources like lithium and rare earths.
- India's strengths include a youthful workforce and programs like Skill India to bolster clean energy manufacturing.
- The collaboration aims to create a resilient clean energy ecosystem anchored in the region.
Conclusion
Chris Bowen's visit to Delhi underscores the critical moment for India-Australia cooperation, demonstrating how democratic nations can address climate challenges through resilient clean-energy supply chains.