The Republic of India organized a Workshop on Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy on 29-30 April 2021 under its presidency of BRICS for the year 2021. Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power hosted the virtual meetings through video conferencing. The two-day workshop had participation from Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa, apart from Indian representation from industry, academia, and government.

On Day 1, session on Industrial Decarbonisation was organized. It had speakers from industry and academia. Session highlighted the decarbonisation initiatives and opportunities in hard-to-abate industry sectors, including Carbon Capture Utilization (CCU), use of hydrogen as a heat source or a reduction agent, electrification, use of biomass as an energy source, and material circularity.

On Day 2, session on Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) was organized. It had speakers from green building rating agencies, academic institutes, and building developers. The session on NZEB highlights the emission reduction potential in the building sector by integrating energy-efficient strategies into the design, construction, and operation of new buildings and undertaking retrofits to improve the efficiency of existing buildings. Both day sessions were followed by updates from BRICS member countries about similar initiatives in their respective countries.
The BRICS delegates appreciated the decarbonization initiatives taken by Indian industries and also encourage the efforts made by India to promote Net Zero Buildings. Delegates agreed upon exploring opportunities for collaborative approach on technology, manufacturing, business prospects and extended their cooperation and support for future partnerships.

Source: brics2021.gov.in