Industrial decarbonisation editorial

Notes

• India's net-zero emissions target is set for 2070, with industrial decarbonisation identified as a central pillar.
• The 2022 First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1) indicates that the industrial sector accounts for over 20% of India's total emissions.
• Manufacturing and construction fuel consumption contributes 13% of total emissions, while industrial processes and product use account for 9%.
• The Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme targets 13 energy-intensive industries to reduce specific energy consumption.
• The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) is the successor to PAT for nine sectors: aluminium, cement, fertilizers, iron and steel, petrochemicals, petroleum refining, pulp and paper, textiles, and chlor-alkali.
• Thermal power plants, railways, DISCOMs, and commercial buildings remain under the PAT scheme.
• A significant policy gap exists regarding 'non-specific industries', which account for over 40% of emissions within the manufacturing and construction sector.
• The 'non-specific industries' category currently falls outside the primary scope of both PAT and CCTS, lacking specific energy efficiency mandates or emission targets.
• The NITI Aayog’s India Climate and Energy Dashboard confirms that the 'non-specific' category has consistently represented a large volume of industrial emissions since 2014.
• Effective climate strategy requires disaggregated data and the identification of sub-sectors within the 'non-specific' category to achieve net-zero goals.