India is building the world’s largest renewable energy park. Why are environmentalists concerned?
India is building what will likely be the world’s largest renewable energy project.
Rising from the bare expanse of the large salt desert that separates the country from Pakistan, the solar and wind farm is expected to be completed three years from now.
The Khavda renewable energy park – named after the village nearest to the project site – will be so big that it will be visible from space, according to developers.
When completed, the project will be about as large as Singapore, spreading out over 726 square kilometres. The Indian government estimates it will cost at least $2.26 billion (€2.08b).
Shifting to renewable energy is a key issue at the ongoing COP28 climate summit. Some leaders have voiced support for a target of tripling renewable energy worldwide in any final agreement while curbing use of coal, oil and natural gas, which spew planet-warming gases into the atmosphere.
The park will power nearly 18 million homes
Once completed, the park will supply 30 gigawatts of renewable energy annually, enough to power nearly 18 million Indian homes.
India – the world’s most populous country – aims to install 500 gigawatts of clean energy by the end of the decade and to reach net zero emissions by 2070. This project site will likely contribute significantly to its transition to producing energy from non-carbon spewing sources.
As things stand, India is still mostly powered by fossil fuels, especially coal, which generate more than 70 per cent of its electricity. Renewable energy currently contributes about 10 per cent of India’s electricity needs. The country is also currently the third-largest emitter of planet-warming gases behind China and the United States.
By Angela Symons & Sibi Arasu
www.euronews.com