ARE CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE U.S. IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MUMBAI 000415 SIPDIS STATE PLEASE PASS TO DOE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN EIND EINV ENRG EPET ETRD ETTC IN SUBJECT: ARE CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE U.S. IN INDIA'S FUTURE? MUMBAI 00000415 001.2 OF 004 ¶1. Summary: As efforts to introduce clean and renewable energy in India grow, energy entrepreneurs hope that a mix of government policies, international technology transfers, and better access to financing will spur the development of a competitive clean energy industry. Many Indian companies have ambitious plans to boost India's renewable energy component - now at about eight percent of total electricity capacity, most of which is wind or small hydro - but are dependent on government subsidies and other preferential policies that aim to make the first wave of projects feasible. These companies also hope to obtain access to international clean power production technology, mostly from the U.S., that they argue could be cheaply manufactured in India and deployed not only within the country but also to other parts of the world. These co-production and development partnerships, Indian companies propose, could bring down the overall cost of renewable energy projects, prove the sustainability of clean technology business models, and help wean India away from a dependence on coal. Nevertheless, there are serious challenges ahead. Indian companies so far have little experience in developing solar or other renewable energy production facilities, and current costs are still high. The power grid infrastructure is disjointed, and woefully inefficient. Government policies towards renewable energy are still unclear, but are likely to emerge in the coming months. Nonetheless, overall, many Indian companies and entrepreneurs are committed to introducing renewable energy in India, and look to the U.S. for leadership. End Summary. VISION OF THE FUTURE: 35 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030? ¶2. In a series of recent discussions with alternative and renewable energy entrepreneurs, financiers and companies in Mumbai, interlocutors were confident that an increasingly larger proportion of India's energy needs would be supplied by renewable energy sources, particularly through solar and nuclear energy. Most agreed that wind power generation has reached or is close to reaching a saturation point. Many saw greenfield power production development projects as the next major development, as companies strove to overcome power deficits throughout the country. All saw India, with its growing appetite for energy as having a tremendous investment opportunity to "leapfrog" into clean energy technologies on a relatively large scale to emerge as a highly energy efficient and energy conserving economy. (Note: Coal-based power accounts for 53 percent of India's total installed capacity. Renewable energy sources -- mainly wind, biomass and small hydro -- constitute a mere eight percent of the total energy mix. Analysts estimate that alternative energy sources could meet 35 percent of India's energy demand by 2030. End Note.) ¶3. Interlocutors note that the cost of coal-fired power is as low as 3-4 cents per kwH, while solar power can cost as much as 35 cents per kwH. Power tariffs are regulated by state electricity regulators, and industrial and commercial users pay higher tariffs to subsidize farmers and residential consumers. The end-user pays the average cost of all power purchased by the power utility. Therefore, the high cost of renewable power raises overall costs, and acts as a disincentive for the growth of clean energy in India. However, our interlocutors noted that the federal government is committed to increasing renewable purchase obligations (RPOs),which mandate utilities to buy a proportion of renewable energy in the total energy mix. This, coupled with the central electricity regulator's recent move to set guidelines for renewable energy tariffs, signals acceptance and recognition for the need for renewable energy in India. GOI SUPPORT FOR CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES ¶4. Indian renewable energy companies pointed to the yet-to-be officially announced National Solar Mission from India's MUMBAI 00000415 002.2 OF 004 Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as symbolic of the federal government's commitment to promote renewable energy. The new policy, sources say, aims at creating an enabling policy framework and environment to generate 20 GW of solar power by ¶2020. Currently, only 3 MW of grid-connected solar power has been installed in India. Our interlocutors conceded that even Germany, which is considered the leader in the deployment of solar power, has just 6 GW of solar power generating capacity. Nevertheless, Aparna Doshi of Astonfield Renewable Energy, a company focusing on developing new large-scale renewable energy projects in solar, bio-gas, and bio-mass, contends that this new policy demonstrates a commitment by the Indian government to move beyond coal for India's future energy needs. Doshi noted that, per this draft plan, the government is willing to put "serious money" behind their stated desire to generate up to 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar power over the next 10 years, including the use of government subsidies. ¶5. The reaction of the various Indian states to the federal government's policy efforts has been mixed. Doshi applauded the states of Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Gujarat for introducing significant incentives to promote clean power development in their states. Rajasthan and Gujarat have both drafted policies to support programs that go over and above the announced federal government subsidy for up to 10 megawatts of solar power generation in each state in India. Other interlocutors, however, claimed that some federal and state government clean energy policies may run contrary to their intent, and, in fact, be detrimental. They cited a series of cumbersome processes from land acquisition, to setting power purchase agreements with existing utilities, to navigating myriad clearances for energy generation. This, along with the requirement to coordinate state and federal imperatives, is keeping many would-be developers from entering the renewable energy sector. EXISTING EFFORTS OUTSIDE OF GOVERNMENT ¶6. Indian energy entrepreneurs point proudly to research and development activities already underway. Shashank Inamdar of Praj Industries, a leading manufacturer of machinery to produce biofuels, noted that a great deal of work is being done in India on next-generation technologies, both by companies and universities and research institutions. Banmali Agrawala, of electricity giant Tata Power, highlighted the efforts of business groups such as the Confederation of Indian Industry to promote sustainability by example, both in power production and in green buildings and construction. Wind power generation has already established a firm foothold in certain parts of India, and costs much less per unit of power generated than most other clean technologies. However, one interlocutor admitted that wind power has a low plant load factor and can at best supplement, rather than replace, traditional power generation. Wind turbines and energy storage technology have to improve for wind power to expand significantly beyond existing installations in the country. CURRENT DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE A PROBLEM ¶7. Interlocutors identified India's existing electricity grid as a significant stumbling-block for entering the power production and distribution market. The current grid system suffers from extensive transmission and distribution losses - about 30-32 percent - through power theft and poorly maintained infrastructure. Additionally, several individuals pointed out that the existing system is not a "smart grid," so encouraging people or businesses to install small-scale solar or wind power generation units would be more difficult than in some developed countries; excess power returned to the grid could not be tracked, eliminating the possibility of monetary incentive to offset the cost of purchasing the technology. MUMBAI 00000415 003.2 OF 004 FINANCING CHALLENGES ¶8. In all discussions, interlocutors explained that challenges in financing the purchase and implementation of technology and controlling the cost of power for the consumer was inhibiting the growth of the clean energy in India. While the technology exists to fulfill much of India's energy demand through renewable sources, affordability is a problem for both the entrepreneur and the end consumer. According to Avinash Bapat, the Chief Financial Officer of IL&FS Energy Development Corporation, a major Indian infrastructure development company, the size and scale of clean energy projects is restricted by the high component of equity required for energy projects (debt-equity ratio of 70:30),the dearth of mezzanine funding, and the absence of structured financial products to hedge development and operating risk. He explained that financing a 5-10 MW project is easy, but lenders are wary about lending to a 500 MW project; lenders are not satisfied with projections of future cash flow and are worried about default risk. Bapat also observed that there was an "overdose" of financial incentives in the early stages of renewable energy development in India, and most of the early developers of renewable energy projects (principally wind power) were motivated by the financial incentives rather than by an actual desire to generate power. Lenders had to write off many bad loans caused by the "dead" assets created by these "non-serious players," he explained. Kishore Kumar, Head - Investment Banking, of HDFC Bank, the second largest private sector bank in India, noted that smaller, more distributed models may have an easier time securing funding than larger, grid-based models, as the former may even take advantage of non-traditional solutions, such as microfinance. ¶9. Separately, Darius Pandole of New Silk Route and Sandeep Singhal of Nexus Capital, two private equity financiers, admitted that the rate of return on all energy projects, including renewable energy projects, is too low to stimulate serious investment. They noted that private equity and venture capital investors in India are interested in returns of over 25 percent, while the average return of power projects is around 18 percent. Praj's Inamdar said venture capitalists have to wait 10-12 years to get "reasonable" returns for clean energy projects and rarely have the "patience" for such a long-term horizon. Amulya Charan of Tata Power Trading Company pointed out that traditional power projects are profitable in three to five years, whereas most clean energy technology projects break-even only after eight to ten years. Because of the difficulty in securing funding through traditional sources, many interlocutors involved in the clean energy sector highlighted opportunities for financing through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. However, they worried that this carbon credits system might become a thing of the past unless the U.S. signs onto the Kyoto Protocol. INDIAN COMPANIES CALL FOR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE U.S. ¶10. All interlocutors stressed that technology transfer and co-production partnerships with foreign companies - especially from the U.S. - were essential to the development of renewable energy in India. With India's growing power deficits and potential for growth in mind, Indian companies would like to identify U.S. technologies that could be manufactured and deployed cheaper in India. They proposed that India could serve as a base for U.S. companies seeking research and development opportunities, citing the much lower cost of setting up full-scale demonstration or testing facilities in India as compared to the U.S., in addition to the availability of large tracts of land for such testing facilities. Others touted India's low-cost manufacturing advantage and maintained that U.S. technology providers should consider establishing MUMBAI 00000415 004.2 OF 004 manufacturing facilities in India for the local and global supply of clean energy technology and equipment. They believed that the Indian market could provide the volumes needed for U.S. technology manufacturers to scale up, which, coupled with the indigenous manufacturing process, could greatly reduce costs. However, despite these proposed advantages, Indian companies lamented that they were not taken seriously by U.S. companies so far. One interlocutor said that the perception of weak intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement also posed a problem as U. S. manufacturers feared that their products would be copied in the country. HOW THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CAN HELP ¶11. Many interlocutors believe that the USG can be instrumental in efforts to encourage clean energy technologies in India. Principally, they insisted that the U.S. becoming a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol would be a significant move, both in terms of symbolism and in ensuring that the carbon credits system will continue to be reliable. Additionally, interlocutors were united in their wish for greater access to U.S. technology. They stressed that the USG could facilitate this by encouraging the Indian government to become more protective of intellectual property rights, thus overcoming the reluctance of U.S. companies to share their technology. Some mentioned India's goal of producing 25 percent of its power through nuclear plants by the middle of this century, and stressed that USG support (and U.S. capital investment) is needed to make this a reality. Many interlocutors also wanted to see the USG encourage the Indian government to streamline the process of bringing capital into India for investment in clean energy projects, as well as to simplify the review and approval process of GOI subsidy applications for these types of projects. THE INDIAN CLEAN ENERGY PARTNERSHIP MODEL: RIGHT FOR THE U.S.? ¶12. Comment: Indian companies, large and small, are increasingly interested in developing India's clean and renewable energy power production capacity, though these efforts are at a very nascent stage. This motivation comes from the oft-admired Indian entrepreneurial instinct, but also from the widely held belief that India has the potential to become a leader in the development and deployment of clean energy technologies, for all the right reasons. Nevertheless, with little proven clean energy capacity in place, and unclear government policies, it is not surprising that U.S. companies have not entered this market in a significant way. There is much talk about U.S.-India "collaborations" and "partnerships" in the development of clean energy technology, and it is clear what Indian companies have in mind: the establishment of co-production and research plants in India, with USG encouragement. This model will facilitate the creation of jobs in India, help develop its technological research and manufacturing base, and, in the long run, aid the shift away from CO2-producing coal plants which India would have likely built instead. This model may also suit the business models of some American companies, as they expand their operations and establish a global presence, and spur the research and development of low-cost clean energy technologies that can be deployed throughout the world. However, this model also seeks to draw research and development and manufacturing jobs out of the U.S. to India, which has its own political and economic pitfalls. Moving forward, it would be wise to ensure that these clean energy partnerships have clear benefits for both economies. End Comment. TYLER