Lok Sabha passes bill to promote use of non-fossil fuels

The Lok Sabha has passed a bill seeking to promote the use of non-fossil fuels, including ethanol, green hydrogen and biomass, to help the country achieve its international commitments with respect to climate change goals. Piloting the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, Power Minister R K Singh said this is the bill for the future and added that the renewable energy capacity addition in the country was the fastest in the world. The bill was passed by the house after rejecting amendments moved by some Opposition members. Among other things, it provides for penalties for violations by industrial units or vessels as well as on manufacturers if a vehicle fails to comply with fuel consumption norms. With the passage of time, and in the context of the energy transition with special focus on the promotion of new and renewable energy and National Green Hydrogen Mission, a need has arisen to further amend the said Act to facilitate the achievement of 'Panchamrit' as five nectar elements presented by India in Conference of Parties -26 in Glasgow last year, says the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill. The amendments also seek to promote renewable energy and the development of a domestic carbon market to battle climate change. Further, the bill seeks to introduce new concepts such as carbon trading and mandate the use of non-fossil sources to ensure faster decarbonisation of the Indian economy and help achieve sustainable development goals in line with the Paris Agreement.See also: Non-hydro RE capacity addition grew by 61 per cent in Q1 Energy conservation bill introduced to meet COP26 targets