Engie : Le Mag India special: supporting energy generation and facilitating access to energy for all

With record growth of almost 7% in 2015, India has become the fifth-largest consumer of energy in the world. Although three-quarters of its electricity is generated from coal, India wishes to diversify its energy mix by incorporating more renewables and gas. Rashmi Verma, Senior General Manager Electrical with ENGIE Group company Tractebel ENGIE, takes us on a guided tour and introduces us to innovative ENGIE projects in her country.

The Dahej terminal: the first LNG terminal in South East Asia

The journey begins at the Dahej LNG terminal on India's west coast. This facility is one of the largest gas terminals in the world, with a capacity of 10 million metric tons; enough to meet around 20% of national demand for gas. Construction work on this pioneering project began at the end of the 1990s, when the growth in demand for energy and the increasing levels of pollution in some cities left the authorities no choice but to rethink their energy system. To tackle the issue effectively, Petronet - a key stakeholder in the Indian energy sector - decided to partner with ENGIE to bring the facility on stream by contributing of its expertise and technologies, as well as personal training, safety protocols and other key skills. Today, the terminal is expanding fast: two new tanks now under construction will increase its capacity from 10 million metric tons to 15 million.

The Yamuna River: one solution to lower pollution levels in Delhi

With a population of 20 million and around 9 million vehicles, Delhi now faces an enormous challenge. The initiatives introduced by the Indian government to relieve traffic congestion on the city's roads include a strategically important project for integrated development of Delhi's largest river, the Yamuna. Its aim is to clean the river of its pollution and make it a major river route for the transportation of passengers and cargo. Via its subsidiary company Tractebel ENGIE, the Group has been awarded the contract announced by the government in May 2015 to conduct a pre-feasibility study of river navigation. Now, after several months of work, its findings are so promising that the project seems likely to go ahead.

The access to electricity provided by Simpa Networks is improving people's daily lives

In India, 300 million people still have no access to energy. Working through its Rassembleurs d'Énergie investment fund, the Group is providing technical support and funding for projects promoted by social entrepreneurs that contribute to giving vulnerable population groups access to sustainable energy. That's exactly what Simpa Networks does. This supportive social enterprise founded in 2011 enables low-income residents of Delhi to access electricity through the installation of personal photovoltaic systems. ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies invested €1 million in this project in 2014, and its growth has been so strong that the investment fund will double that figure this year!

Engie SA issued this content on 04 February 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 04 February 2016 16:05:01 UTC

Original Document: http://www.engie.com/en/news/mag-india-special/