US-India Private Sector Clean Energy Cooperation - India-Japan Coast Guard Exercise - US-India-Australia Discuss Maritime Security
US-firm sets up solar manufacturing in India
The US-based First Solar invested $700 million in setting up a solar manufacturing plant in Tamil Nady, which has an annual capacity of 3.3 GW. The plant will produce First Solar’s “Series 7” photovoltaic (PV) solar modules, which use 50% less energy and are competitive, using only 1/3 of the water of the polysilicon modules produced in China. The plant will cater for the Indian market.
Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Industries, Promotions and Commerce TRB Rajaa — who was the chief guest at the plant’s inaugural ceremony — said that the plant would set a “...a high bar for sustainability and advanced manufacturing” and “support India’s ambition to become self-sufficient in solar technology”.
Big Picture:
Under the Quad’s clean energy initiative, the Quad intends to intensify cooperation to expand manufacturing, increase demand and enable commercial-scale production capabilities for critical components and systems through collaboration. The Quad focus on these initiatives through the ‘Quad Statement of Principles on Clean Energy Supply Chains in the Indo-Pacific’. The grouping also intends to encourage and incentivise the private sector to proliferate decarbonisation solutions.
Last month, Sembcorp Industries, which is a leading renewables company, partnered with Japanese companies to pursue the construction of green ammonia facilities in India (with Sembcorp as the lead developer).
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the three said:
With green ammonia as a critical energy source to decarbonise Japan’s power supply mix, the partnership will support the government’s goal to achieve net zero by 2050. This partnership also reflects the strong commitment by Japan, India and Singapore towards the development of cross-border hydrogen supply chains.
Indian, Japanese Coast Guards Exercise in Bay of Bengal
Indian and Japanese coast guards exercised in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast on January 12, 2024. The focus of the exercise was on distress communications, aerial surveillance, VIP embarkation, search and rescue phases, firefighting phases and the assessment and retrieval of oil spills, among others. India’s official news website said that the joint training focused on pollution response training on hazardous and narcotics substances to combat maritime pollution at sea, with a particular focus on chemical pollution concerning hazardous chemical noxious substances and safety equipment.
The Japanese Coast Guard’s Commander, Yoshihiro Shimizu said:
We will continue to further strengthen the cooperation between both sides through joint drills and exercises and the exchange of opinions
Jaishankar speaks to Quad counterparts
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts in the United States and Australia — Secretary of State Antony Binken and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, respectively — discussing bilateral cooperation and regional and global issues like the West Asia conflict and the Ukraine war, and maritime security challenges, especially the Red Sea region.
Jaishankar also said he “...exchanged views on the state of the world and discussed our cooperation for this year, including through Quad”.
Big Picture:
In the context of the flailing Red Sea situation, where do Quad partners stand when it comes to the maritime security of the Indian Ocean?
The US-led ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’, a military operation with 11 other countries, lacks Japan, Australia, and India as partners. Australia’s Defence Minister, Richard Marles, said:
We won’t be sending a ship or a plane…[t]hat said, we will be almost tripling our contribution to the combined maritime force…[w]e need to be really clear around our strategic focus, and our strategic focus is our region: the northeast Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Pacific
Meanwhile, India decided to (independently) deploy its warships in the region.
Last week, the US and 13 other countries — including Australia and Japan — issued a joint statement deeming ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea “illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing”. The United Security Council (UNSC) resolution this week condemned and demanded an immediate halt to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, affirming that “the navigational rights and freedoms of merchant and commercial vessels must be respected” and takes note “of the right of member states, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms.” The resolution was sponsored by the United States and Japan.
The resolution saw four abstentions by Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique.