India gets influential role in IEA as associate member

India will gain from a wide ranging and deeper cooperation and collaboration between member and association countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

With enhanced cooperation with the IEA, India would be able to play a more visible and influential role in the future global energy governance landscape, said Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy & Mines.

He envisaged a greater partnership with IEA in taking forward the International Solar Alliance framework to other countries in the world.

India has attained an Association status in the IEA which covers the entire spectrum of energy globally.

Speaking in New Delhi on 30 March 2017 on gaining the new status, Goyal said will play an important role in India’s energy security context.

Goyal said that India pursues its key development objectives of energy access, energy security and environmental sustainability.

India can also gain from IEA’s data gathering processes, survey methodologies and range of energy data, which could enable to set up its own robust integrated database agency in the near future.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has welcomed the upgrade of India’s relationship with IEA from Partnership Status in 2013 to Association Status.

India and IEA have a Memorandum of Understanding since 2011 on capacity building to respond to an oil emergency situation.

With the Association Status in place, both India and IEA will work in the areas of mutual interests pertaining to Oil and Gas sector, including capacity building to meet supply side disruptions. fii-news.com