Daily Current Affairs for UPSC : 15 Oct 2025/India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership (IREP).

Why in  News?  Chris Bowen, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, will visit Delhi on October 15 to discuss with India’s Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, the furtherance of cooperation under the India–Australia Renewable Energy Partnership (IREP). This visit happens in the context of increasing urgency for collaboration on clean energy and decreasing dependence on China for renewable energy supply chains.

Key Takeaways:

Global Context: Clean Energy Transition:

• Both India and Australia have ambitious targets for clean energy.
• Globally, we are facing supply chain vulnerabilities and an over-reliance on China, which:
• Is responsible for refining 90% of rare earth elements.
• Produces 80% of global solar modules.

India’s Renewable Energy Push:

• India’s goal is to have 500 GW of non-fossil capacity heating towards 2030 (280 GW solar).
• India is ahead of schedule whereby as of July 2025, 50% of installed capacity is non-fossil.
• India is facing challenges with regards to its:
• High dependence on imported components.
• EV sector was disrupted this year by a shortage in rare earths and components.

Australia’s Climate Ambition:

• Australia’s target is to reduce emissions between 62%-70% below 2005 levels by 2035.
• Australia has strengths, such as:
• Australia is rich in critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, rare earths) but does not possess the downstream refining and manufacturing capacity.
• Australia seeks to build a skilled workforce to help deliver on this through the Net Zero Jobs Plan.

India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership (REP)

• Initiated in 2022 by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese.
• Goals include:
• Grow clean energy supply chain diversity.
• Increase shared investments in refining and processing.
• Advance capacity building and skills sharing.

Focus Topics:

1. Solar PV technology
2. Green hydrogen
3. Energy storage
4. Solar supply chains
5. Circular economy within renewables
6. Two-way investment
7. Capacity building
8. Track 1.5 Dialogue (govt + industry + academia)

Risks of China Reliance:

• India is dependent on China for:
• Rare earth magnets
• Battery materials
• Australia is a key supplier of raw materials, but does not have the capacity to process it in the country.
• COVID-19 and China export restrictions showed how vulnerable our current systems are.

Regional Climate Impact:

• The Indo-Pacific is already encountering significant climate challenges.
• From 1970-2022, there were approximately 10 climate disasters each month.
• By 2050:
• 89 million people could be displaced.
• 80% of the population could be affected by climate disasters.

Opportunities for Cooperative Efforts:

• Australia: Resources + stability
• India: Skilled, young workforce + market size
• Joint investments in refining, manufacturing, and training can:
• Build a resilient supply chain
• Reduce reliance on China
• Support clean energy solutions in the Indo-Pacific.