India, US agree giving push to sustainable aviation fuel

India and the US have agreed to give impetus to sustainable aviation fuel, promote electrification of medium and heavy-duty vehicles and use of hydrogen in buses, tractors and heavy equipment, said a joint statement issued after the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership dialogue between the two nations. The two nations “welcomed increased investment in each country’s clean energy markets,” according to the statement issued after the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) Ministerial convened by US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri in Washington DC.

“The two countries agreed to give an impetus to sustainable aviation fuel,” the statement said.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is an alternative fuel made from non-petroleum feedstocks that reduces emissions from air transportation. It can be produced from non-petroleum-based renewable feedstocks, including the food and yard waste portion of municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats/greases/oils, and other feedstocks. SAF can be blended in jet fuel to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

“In this context, the sides welcomed new engagement on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) with an inaugural SAF workshop to support training on R&D, tax incentives, supply chain capacity building, market development, financing opportunities, fuel certification, regional and international coalition building, and facilitating commercial partnerships. The ministers also welcomed the development of two joint reports on SAF and biofuels under the Biofuels Task Force,” the statement said.

They recognised that energy transitions require concerted action and implementation at the national and local levels to ensure viable, sustainable clean energy efforts and a just energy transition. To that end, the ministers welcomed capacity building and dissemination of best practices, across all levels of government.

The ministers recognised the progress the two countries have made to accelerate the development and deployment of emerging clean energy technologies, advancing renewable energy deployment and reliable grid integration, promoting energy efficiency, and advancing decarbonisation of high-emitting sectors like industry, buildings, and transport.

They welcomed the formal launch of the Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) in August 2023, aimed at developing actionable roadmaps for hydrogen, long-duration energy storage, offshore wind, and geothermal, through R&D, pilots and demonstration, and incubation-investment-industry networks. They also expressed satisfaction at the progress being made by both sides under the RETAP mechanism.

The two countries welcomed collaboration on the new National Centre for Hydrogen Safety in India and highlighted expanded bilateral expert exchanges on clean hydrogen R&D, cost reduction efforts, and implementation of hydrogen hubs in both countries through RETAP, the public-private Hydrogen Task Force.

The ministers stressed the importance of supporting large-scale grid integration of renewable energy while enabling flexible and reliable grid operations through energy storage.

They welcomed the formal launch of the public-private Energy Storage Task Force to address policy and regulatory frameworks, safety, manufacturing and supply chains, and innovative business models; focused RETAP efforts on long-duration energy storage and alternative chemistries to Li-ion technologies; efforts on the technical and economic feasibility of various storage technologies available for a renewable energy battery energy storage system (BESS) in Assam; and support for BESS bids and pilots in Haryana. The sides also recognised pumped storage as a long-term energy storage option.

“The ministers praised the breadth and depth of the US-India partnership to advance progress toward our common clean energy goals and address today’s unprecedented climate challenges. They noted that by leveraging the SCEP partnerships, the US and India can spur innovation and help build more secure, resilient, and diverse clean energy supply chains,” it added.