Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen last week ventured to India and China to discuss renewable energy partnerships.
It comes as the Federal Government recognises the need to diversify supply chains by working with a range of partners to realise net zero by 2050.
“A very high proportion of such key goods coming from one country is a risk and we need to work to diversify supply chains,” he told SBS News while on the ground in India.
“We do that by making more things in Australia, and welcoming more things being made in India and other countries.”
Bowen was in New Delhi for the first Renewable Energy Partnership Ministers Meeting as part of a strengthened India–Australia Renewable Energy Partnership. Here, he met with India’s Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi to discuss various elements of the partnership, including the India–Australia Green Hydrogen Taskforce recommendations report, which paves the way for the development of joint renewable hydrogen projects.
The 5th India–Australia Energy Dialogue saw Bowen and India’s Minister for Power Manohar Lal reaffirm their commitment to exploring new energy technologies, with conversations centred on collaboration around critical minerals to support renewable energy and green hydrogen discussions.
India and Australia launched their elevated Renewable Energy Partnership at the Australia–India Annual Summit in November 2024. Eight key focus areas of the partnership include solar PV, green hydrogen, solar supply chains, energy storage, circular economy for renewable energy, capacity building, and two-way investment in renewable energy projects and allied areas.
Bowen also visited Beijing where he attended the 9th Australia–China Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change alongside China’s Minister for Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu.
Rectifying transparency issues was on the agenda for the two ministers.
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