On 15 March 2019, Part-time Professor of the Florence School of Regulation Andris Piebalgs participated in an India-EU Expert Seminar, which took place under the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership. The event focused on the possible role of gas in the energy transition towards a low carbon energy security in the EU and India and on potential areas for further cooperation. The seminar was organised in close cooperation with the Independent Energy Policy Institute and was supported by PwC India.
The seminar concluded with a list of recommendations:
- India’s plans to increase share of gas in its energy mix (from 6% to 15% by 2030) would require major initiatives in terms of policy and programs to increase the security, reliability and affordability of natural gas;
- gas can play an important role in the energy transition towards renewable energy enhancing the transition towards a less carbon intensive economy and in less air pollution;
- access to reliable and affordable energy is crucial both the EU and in India;
- some speakers advocated for the creation of a gas trading hub in India. India can learn from the EU experience;
- a potential way to develop India – EU cooperation on gas is to organise a series of workshop and exchanges on the following topics: gas infrastructure policy, gas market regulatory reform, regional market integration, LNG destination flexibility, the global LNG market.
