Energy Sector Report of BEE’s Energy Data Management Unit Released

The Union Ministry of Power has come out with a comprehensive energy sector report titled National Energy Data: Survey and Analysis 2021-22, which is the maiden report of Energy Data Management Unit, set up under Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India. The report provides granular information about energy supply and consumption patterns across various sectors of the Indian economy. The report was released by the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy R. K. Singh at Shram Shakti Bhawan, in New Delhi today.

The report contains extensive data compiled for the last six years, i.e., from FY 2016-17 to FY 2021-22, along with trends and analysis of fuel-wise energy consumption in major end-use sectors. This report also provides an overview of the impact of various energy conservation policies and their associated carbon dioxide emission reduction and monetary savings.  The report has been prepared by Ministry of Power through Bureau of Energy Efficiency in collaboration with NITI Aayog, various line Ministries and Departments, institutions, and other stakeholders.

The highlights of the report are given below.

Value Addition

• This report provides granular fuel-wise energy consumption data for various sectors. This detailing will enable a better understanding of the energy profile of various sectors, sub-sectors and consumer groups.
• The use of distinct conversion factors (of domestic coal and imported coal) for different years based on different calorific values of coal gives a realistic picture of coal-based energy supply and consumption in the country.
• In the latest edition of 2023 Report of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, the conversion factors of coal have been derived using a weighted average methodology rather than using a single representative GCV for all grades of coal.
• This report also provides an overview of the impact of various policies on energy savings and CO2 emission reduction with corresponding monetary savings.

New Insights

• Energy supply to economy during last six years is actually less by 18%; this has been found out by using Indian coal conversion factors, rather than IEA conversion factors which has been used before
• Lower energy consumption value by 8% in 2021-22.
• Increased share of electrification on consumption side to 20.9%.

Usefulness

• The information provided in this report will help in assessing the status of data availability of various energy products in the country.
• It can also help in analysing energy intensity of the country thereby enabling policy makers to formulate robust policies and carry out course corrections.

Way Forward

• There exists limited data on non-commercial energy sources such as biomass although these modes meet significant energy needs.
• There appeared a need to bridge the existing gap in the exploration side of data (i.e., 2D, and 3D surveys).
• There is also a possibility that a significant amount of data could be collected from government-subsidized projects and disseminated and would be captured in the upcoming editions of the report.

Releasing the report, the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy R. K. Singh emphasized the importance of data and recalled that a lot of history regarding India was based on research conducted by those coming from outside, which posed problems due to insufficient expertise of such foreign researchers. The Minister said that the debate on carbon emissions has to be on per capita basis, and not on aggregate basis for each country. The Minister underlined the need for data on energy usage, such as the comparative cost of gas-based cooking and solar cooking. “Our whole objective is to reduce dependence on imported sources of energy. The way to do this is two-fold, to electrify the economy and then to green the energy.”

The Minister spoke of the need for data on green feedstock, so that we know how much green feedstock is required to make the energy transition. “The BEE needs strengthening. We also need data from other countries. Ownership of data is absolutely vital, which helps us understand and explain better.”

The Minister also said that the report will assist in analyzing energy intensity of the country, thereby facilitating policy makers to identify areas of improvement and formulate effective policies and track country’s progress towards India’s achievement of Nationally Determined Contributions. “This will also guide policy decisions, influence industry practices, and empower individuals and organizations to make informed choices in their pursuit of a greener and more sustainable future.”

Congratulating the Ministry and BEE, Member, NITI Aayog, Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat said that the significance of energy data cannot be overstated considering the ‘Panchamrit’ commitments made by India and the need for energy transition. “Data should be end-to-end, regarding production, distribution, transmission and covering all sources of energy. We cannot achieve Net Zero without a good repository of information on greenhouse gas emissions from various sources. However, the inadequate availability of robust energy datasets has affected India’s energy research, undermining policy, and regulatory compliance. To improve the same, Energy Data Management Unit has been formed in BEE under the guidance of Ministry of Power. The comprehensive report details supply and consumption data across sectors. This will help India make futuristic decisions regarding energy supply and consumption.”

The NITI Aayog Member said that the inaugural report stands as a testament to the power of data-driven insights in shaping our energy landscape. “This ground-breaking report uncovers valuable trends, highlights challenges and opportunities, and presents innovative solutions to drive sustainable energy practices. It holds the potential to revolutionize our understanding of energy consumption, production, and efficiency.”

Advisor, Prime Minister’s Office, Tarun Kapoor said that the report fulfils the need for someone who specializes in energy sector who can get regular data updates from various Ministries and departments and come out with a comprehensive report on the energy sector. The Advisor to the Prime Minister said that often, various incorrect pieces of information regarding Indian energy sector are shared and used even by international organizations and that a government organization coming out with such data will become the accepted and credible source of information which is also reflective of the ground situation in the country. “We have to now ensure that the data flow is regular. It will be great if this report is brought out every year.”

Secretary, Ministry of Power, Alok Kumar said that the preparation of the report was inspired by the recognition that India should have its own official energy data statistics, rather than having to depend on other organizations or having to resort to piecemeal energy statistics compiled by various Ministries and Departments. “The task forces formed as part of the project, one on supply-side data and another on demand-side data compiled energy data from different sources and structured the data which was in different formats. India can now have confidence of its own data in stating that our energy efficiency is better than what it was reported upon.”

The Secretary said that as part of this process, the Power Ministry recommended the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation to make some modifications in its regular surveys, to collect some more important energy statistics as well. He added that based on this, BEE will now be undertaking a detailed energy survey of energy use in commercial sector.

The Power Secretary said that the Bureau of Energy Efficiency should be strengthened, with sufficient staff and more expertise. He also said that BEE should come out with such data-driven and analytical reports for not only India, but for other countries too, especially the top countries relevant to global energy transition, so that India can engage with such countries depending on credible data. He hoped that with feedback from independent analysts, further editions of the report will further improve.

Director General, BEE Abhay Bakre stated that the future versions of the report would track investments in energy sector (supply and demand side). He said that impact of various Govt. schemes including incentives, subsidies would be assessed; further deep-dives to analyze sub-sectoral energy consumption patterns under commercial sector would be undertaken; segregation of imported coal usage in various sectors would be determined; retailer data for Gasoline and CNG consumption would be refined; and data on non-commercial energy sources such as biomass would be captured.