The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India are nearing a "major agreement" on a renewable energy interconnection, according to the Indian Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), of which India is the current president, is holding its annual assembly in Abu Dhabi. The Gulf Arab oil producer, Raj Kumar Singh, told Reuters that the agreement was still pending final approvals.
The One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative is a joint effort by a number of nations to build networks for renewable energy sources. "There is a major agreement for an interconnection between the UAE electricity grid and the Indian grid," Singh said.
The OSOWOG initiative, which was initially put forth by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to transfer renewable energy power by tying grids together. According to Singh, the UAE has also expressed a desire to invest more in solar and wind energy projects in India.
MoU For Green Hydrogen Development
A Memorandum of Understanding on the development of green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy, was also signed between India and the UAE on January 13, according to a tweet from the Indian embassy in the UAE on Friday.
A comprehensive trade agreement was reached between the Gulf state and India last year with the aim of boosting bilateral non-oil trade to $100 billion over the following five years.
Singh endorsed the UAE's hosting of the COP28 climate conference this year and supports Sultan Al Jaber, the head of the UAE's state oil company ADNOC and the country's climate envoy, as the conference's president-designate.
Jaber's appointment was criticized by activists who feared that the international response to the environmental crisis would be subverted by fossil fuel interests. The renewable energy company Masdar was founded in Abu Dhabi in 2006 by Jaber, who is also the UAE's minister of industry and advanced technology.
Jaber was "the point man for renewables, for climate change," according to the Indian minister. "When looking at energy transition, you look at the entire energy sector, the whole basket." He's been working on green initiatives in the oil and gas sector as well.
The UAE and other Gulf energy producers have called for a practical transition in which hydrocarbons would continue to play a part in ensuring energy security while making commitments to decarbonization.
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