INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC CLIMATE POLICIES

The document identifies three primary policy areas for GHG mitigation in India's power sector: the adoption of supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal technologies, the replacement of inefficient agricultural pump sets, and the upgrade of distribution networks to High Voltage Distribution Systems (HVDS). It argues that while these options have large mitigation potential, implementation is hindered by resource constraints, poor financial health of utilities, and political challenges regarding metering. The author advocates for moving beyond the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) toward long-term North-South cooperation to facilitate technology transfer and financing.

• The Indian power sector is the largest contributor to CO2 emissions in the country, with emissions from the sector accounting for 92.8% of total power sector emissions in 2006-07, totaling 460 million tonnes.
• Adopting efficient coal technologies for new capacity could significantly reduce emissions by 2031-32. A scenario with a 20% share of supercritical technology could reduce annual emissions by 150 million tonnes, while adding a 10% share of ultra-supercritical technology could increase that reduction to 253 million tonnes annually.
• India's coal-fired power plant efficiency is below international standards; in 2003, the average energy efficiency was 30%, compared to 42% in Japan, largely due to a vintage stock of small-scale subcritical Pulverised Coal (PC) technology.
• Agricultural pump sets are highly inefficient, with a World Bank study in Haryana finding that only 2% of surveyed pumps had efficiency levels above 40%, while the average efficiency was only 21-24%.
• The lack of electricity metering and the use of 'flat pricing' for agricultural consumers remove incentives for energy conservation and contribute to the accumulation of inefficient pump sets.
• Upgrading low-tension (LT) distribution networks to High Voltage Distribution Systems (HVDS) can significantly reduce network losses. In Andhra Pradesh, HVDS implementation reduced line losses from 18.63% to 5.47% in one instance and from 16.30% to 3.77% in another.
• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is considered inadequate for the scale of investment needed for agricultural pump replacement and distribution network upgrades due to high monitoring costs and the risk of non-approval by the CDM Executive Board.
• The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) provides a framework for eight national missions, but it does not specifically address large-scale GHG emitters in the power sector.

APA

SINGH, A. (2008). INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC CLIMATE POLICIES. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/singh-251108-final.pdf

Chicago

SINGH, ANOOP. INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC CLIMATE POLICIES. Climate Strategies, 2008. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/singh-251108-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=SINGH |first1=ANOOP |title=INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC CLIMATE POLICIES |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=25 November 2008 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/singh-251108-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{singh2008international, author = {SINGH, ANOOP}, title = {{INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC CLIMATE POLICIES}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/singh-251108-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }