NCoEGPS to work on road map for Green Shipping
India intends to increase the share of renewable energy to 60% of the total power demand of each of its major ports through solar and wind-generated power from less than 10% at present.
This was part of the announcement of India’s first National Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) by Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on 19 Nov 2022.
The Centre aims to develop a regulatory framework and alternate technology adoption road map for Green Shipping in the country to foster carbon neutrality and circular economy (CE).
The Ministry would undertake major initiatives to provide greener solutions, he said at the “INMARCO 2022” held in Mumbai.
The main objective of the proposed NCoEGPS is to provide support to MoPSW in developing and maintaining a policy and regulatory framework for a green alternative technologies road map for the shipping sector in India for its transition to carbon neutrality and CE principles.
Sonowal said, “This NCoEGPS centre is an important step in transforming ports and shipping to be more enviornment friendly.”
Elaborating, the Minister said, “This Centre will help MoPSW on policy and regulatory support for developing regulatory framework and alternate technology adoption roadmap for Green Shipping to foster carbon neutrality and circular economy (CE) in shipping sector in India.”
The Deendayal Port Authority Kandla, Paradip Port Authority, Paradip, V.O Chidambaranar Port Authority, Thoothukudi and Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi have all extended their support to the ministry to set up this centre.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is the knowledge and implementation partner for this project.
The ports aim to reduce Carbon emissions by 30% per ton of cargo handled by 2030.
The Maritime Vision Document 2030, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a 10-year blueprint on India’s vision of a sustainable Maritime sector and vibrant blue economy.
India has been selected as the first country under the IMO Green Voyage 2050 project to conduct a pilot project related to Green Shipping.
India will also be implementing IMO energy efficiency requirements for existing ships and carbon intensity requirements on all its vessels whether coastal or international in order to help achieve IMO GHG reduction targets.
India is already supplying shore power to ships with power demand less than 150 KW at present and targeting to supply shore power to all visiting ships. India is working actively at Marine Environmental Protection Committee of IMO to help devise acceptable regulatory requirements for GHG emission reduction in line with IMO GHG initial strategy.
India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement for the Period 2021-2030 include: to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33% to 35% by 2030 from 2005 level, and to achieve about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of technology and low-cost international finance.
India is well on its way to achieve these targets and has already achieved more than 24.5% share of Renewable Energy (RE) in total Installed Capacity. Globally, today India stands 4th in RE power capacity, 4th in Wind power, and 5th in Solar Power capacity.
As all the industry sectors are moving towards achieving carbon neutrality and implementing CE measures ahead of the Government commitment for the year 2070.
The energy- and resource-intensive shipping sectorn needs to implement road map to achieve energy and resource neutrality.
Therefore, the work undertaken by the NCoEGPS will provide the decision makers at a national and sub-national level with methodology and framework to implement carbon neutrality measures, to meet (and exceed) obligations under the Paris Accord through electrification of process, through renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, and other emerging alternate fuel technologies including green fuels.
The scope of work carried out by NCoEGPS will also include training and capacity building of different stakeholders for fast-tracking adoption of green measures identified through research.
The NCoEGPS will be working under the framework of the Sagarmala programme of the MoPSW. fiinews.com
