New Delhi: The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 has been approved by Rajya Sabha and is now law. The Bill was already approved by Lok Sabha. The Energy Conservation Act of 2001 is being modified by the proposed bill. It encourages energy saving and efficiency. The Centre is given authority under the Bill to define a carbon credit trading programme.
The law also states that certain users may be forced to obtain a certain percentage of their energy from non-fossil sources. Office and residential buildings with a connected load of 100 kW or more are subject to the building energy conservation code. Raj Kumar Singh, the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, responded to a discussion of the Bill in the House by stating that it is an issue of pride for all citizens that India has advanced on the energy transition and increased the capacity for renewable energy. He claimed that the advancements in the field of renewable energy have left an impression on the energy ministers of various nations who have visited India.
No developed nation, according to him, has advanced in the areas of energy transition and climate change as much as India. According to Mr. Singh, India pledged at COP-21 in 2015 to achieve 40% of its installed electrical capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030 as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs.