India and the Netherlands are cooperaing on renewable energy front.
Dutch ambassador Alphonsus Stoelinga and the secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Satish Balram Agnihotri, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard.
Under this agreement, an Indo Dutch Joint Working Group will be set up and the exchange of technical and institutional knowledge on clean energy will be facilitated.
Both governments hoped that the MoU would be a just the beginning of a symbiotic and mutually beneficial wave of cooperation in the clean energy sector.
The Dutch Ambassador emphasized that both their countries have similar ambitions and face similar challenges in realizing clean energy options in the respective countries. He hoped that the MoU would encourage cooperation not only at the official and governmental levels but also between leading Indian and Dutch private companies and research institutions.
A number of private companies including DSM, Thermax India and PwC were also present on the occasion.
India has set an ambitious goal of 30 GW of renewable energy to its energy mix in the next five years, Dr. Abdulla said. The ongoing wind programs as well as the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) have helped reduce the price of renewable energy.
Dr. Abdullah suggested that India and Netherlands had great potential for enhancing cooperation in promoting renewable energy and offered to provide all possible assistance for the purpose.