Can meaningful consultation and consent advance fair and equitable large-scale renewable energy development? Reflections from India

Abstract

India has one of the world's most ambitious renewable energy expansion plans. To achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and meet 50 % of the total installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030, it plans to build 500 gigawatt (GW) of non-fossil energy capacity comprising mainly 280 GW of solar, 140 GW of wind, and 61 GW of large hydropower projects. Multiple technical and financial impediments are impacting the scale and speed needed to achieve these targets. But that is not all; the planning and execution of such large projects relies heavily on the availability of, and access to, land. The presence of contestations, conflicts and social uprisings from some of India's most dispossessed, marginalised groups, afflicting several planned and ongoing large renewable energy projects highlights the socially complex nature of these developments. This paper is an effort to unpack this complexity by applying the principles of consultation and consent. Specifically, the paper asks three questions: first, what is the nature of engagement and consultation posited in the policy and regulatory landscape currently driving India's renewable energy development process? Second, how does it compare with key international norms and commitments? Third, what recommendations can be made to strengthen consultation and consent principles in India's renewable energy policy and practice? Addressing these questions advances our collective understanding of how renewable energy ambitions interface with India's plans for a people-centric, fair, and just transition.