Embassy of India, Kuwait, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and with support from the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, organized “INDIA-KUWAIT SOLAR ENERGY FORUM” on 24th August 2021. The objective of this event was to bring together all stakeholders in the fields of solar and renewable energy and to explore the potential of India-Kuwait cooperation in all aspects of solar energy, especially government, industry, research, investments, and projects.
Ambassador of India to Kuwait Shri Sibi George inaugurated the event and spoke about the potential available for cooperation between India and the State of Kuwait and highlighted various opportunities available in the sector. Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance (ISA) gave the keynote address. Dr. Mohammad Al- Ramadhan, Deputy Director-General for Strategic Thrust Programs, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS)
addressed the Forum and gave an overview of Kuwait’s vision for the renewable energy sector. Mr. Parag Sharma, Vice-Chairman, CII National Committee on Atmanirbhar Bharat – RE Manufacturing and Founder & CEO, O2 Power also spoke on the occasion.
A panel discussion on Unlocking the Full Potential of India – Kuwait Solar Energy Cooperation was organized during the forum. The panelists included Dr. Arun Kumar Tripathi, Adviser, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) & former DG, National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), India, Dr. Ayman Al-Qattan, Renewable Energy Programme Manager, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait, Shri Narinder Mohan Gupta, CGM (International Business), NTPC Ltd., India, Dr. Mohammed Sadeqi, Senior Advisor, Engineering, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), Mr. Saransh Roy, Senior Investment Specialist, Invest India, Dr. Yaser Abdulraheem, Managing Director, Kuwait University Semiconductor Research Facility, Kuwait, Mr. Ravi Verma, Strategic Affairs Head, Avada, India, Mr. Pratik Desai, Chief Executive, Larsen & Toubro Kuwait.
India has set an ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW worth of renewable energy by the end of 2022, with a renewed target of 450 GW by 2030. This is the world’s largest expansion plan in the renewable energy sector. India has achieved a milestone of 1,00,000 MW of installed Renewable Energy capacity, becoming only the 4th country in the world to do so. India has installed 45200 MW capacity of solar energy, witnessing seventeen times increase during the last 7 years. India is not just on par but will surpass the commitments made under Paris Agreement.
The event witnessed an enthusiastic response with stakeholders from India and Kuwait participating in the event, in person as well as virtually.