4. ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Figure 4.9 Evolution of passenger and freight rail transport activity and share of transport sector in India, 2000-2017

Passenger and freight rail activity in India has steadily increased over time, but at a slower rate than transport by other modes, decreasing rail’s modal share.

Source: IEA (2019d), Future of Rail, https://www.iea.org/futureofrail/.

Policy framework and institutions

India has a well-developed policy and institutional framework for energy efficiency (Figure 4.10). The Ministry of Power (MoP) is responsible for policies in the electricity sector. The Bureau for Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the MoP, implements and regulates energy efficiency policies and programmes as set under the 2001 Energy Conservation Act. The act, amended in 2010, provides the basis for India’s energy efficiency policy framework. It is reinforced through the National Mission on Energy Efficiency, one of eight missions under the 2008 National Action Plan on Climate Change. The MoP and the BEE take the lead in collecting and compiling energy efficiency data and developing indicators. India is currently undertaking work on the disaggregation of energy consumption by subsector and end use.

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) supports the government in assessing and formulating the national plans for the energy sector, as well as improving energy data collection and dissemination across the central and state governments. Line ministries such as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) also play an important role in the development and implementation of energy efficiency policies.

In accordance with the Energy Conservation Act, states are obliged to set up statedesignated agencies to support the implementation of energy efficiency policies and to establish State Energy Conservation Funds (SECFs). To date, 28 states have constituted SECFs and most states have provided a financial contribution. States have an important role to play in developing and enforcing critical energy efficiency standards and regulations, building institutional capacity, formulating policies, planning and implementing projects, extending financial support and creating markets for energy efficiency. State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), power distribution companies (DISCOMS)

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