India faces various accessibility challenges in rural and urban regions. Smart grid and off-grid solutions subsidized by the Indian government have made the country one of the fastest electrifying countries in the world. While the Indian government claims 100 percent electrification, and has thus has invested in significant transmission and distribution infrastructure, energy experts raise questions about the impact of these government-led efforts. As electrification grows among households, new solutions from both public and private sector entities must ensure long-term energy access and security.
Please join the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and South Asia Center on Friday, November 22, 2019 from 9 AM to 12 PM for a conversation with Shreerupa Mitra, Executive Director of The Energy Forum, about her new book, Energizing India: Fuelling a Billion Lives, followed by two expert panels on energy access and security in India.
Welcome remarks
Randolph Bell
Director, Global Energy Center
Atlantic Council
Keynote remarks
Ambassador Amit Kumar
Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of India
Book discussion: Energizing India: Fuelling a Billion Lives
A conversation with
Shreerupa Mitra
Executive Director
The Energy Forum
Moderated by
Randolph Bell
Director, Global Energy Center
Atlantic Council
Panel I: Energy access
This panel focuses on sustainable energy access. Leading energy policy experts shed light on how accessibility challenges vary in rural and urban India. The option of various smart grid, and off-grid solutions along with government efforts have made India one of the fastest electrifying countries in the world. The panel will cover the challenges faced by this growing electrification, and how new energy access solutions can be sustainable in the long run.
A conversation with
Lauren Diekman
Senior Director of Energy, Infrastructure and Environment
US-India Business Council
Jayne Somers
Senior Energy Advisor, Asia Bureau
United States Agency for International Development
Griffin Thompson
Director, Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
US Department of State
Johannes Urpelainen
Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment; Director, Energy, Resources and Environment Program, School of Advanced International Studies
Johns Hopkins University
Moderated by
Bina Hussein
Associate Director, Global Energy Center
Atlantic Council
Panel II: Energy security
This panel focuses on the geopolitics of energy security. The growing energy demand in India is diversifying its energy mix. New opportunities and challenges are on a national, regional, and global level from a business and government perspective. The panelists will cover new opportunities and roles for the private sector, along with the challenges of doing business with and in India.
A conversation with
Amos Hochstein
Former Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs
US Department of State
Nolty Theriot
Senior Vice President, Head of Energy and Infrastructure
US-India Strategic Partnership Forum
Shreerupa Mitra
Executive Director
The Energy Forum
Ted Jones
Director, National Security and International Programs
Nuclear Energy Institute
Moderated by
Irfan Nooruddin
Director, South Asia Center
Atlantic Council
