London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Asia's richest man wants India to lead a green energy revolution

Asia's richest man wants India to lead a green energy revolution

India's Gautam Adani, the richest man in Asia, made his vast fortune betting on coal. Now he's aiming to become the world's top player in renewables by 2030 and to make his country a clean energy superpower.

With six coal-fired power plants, Adani, 60, is India's largest private player in power. He invested after India liberalized its economy in the early 1990s and kicked off an energy-intensive boom.

Electricity demand in India continues to grow exponentially, and the government wants to boost renewable energy generation capacity to partly meet the increasing demand.

Amid the pressure to move away from fossil fuels, Adani has already added green energy to his portfolio. Now he's pledging to invest $70 billion in renewables by 2030, which he hopes will ultimately generate more electricity than burning coal.


'One of the most ambitious targets in the world'


India is the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China and the United States. To curb emissions, Indian officials say they want to increase the share of renewables in the nation's energy mix.

Renewables account for 22 percent of India's total installed capacity of about 357 GW. The government wants to have 175 GW of renewable-based installed power capacity by 2022, and raise it further to 500 GW by 2030. 

It hopes reaching these goals will help India achieve carbon neutrality by 2070 and reduce vulnerability to external energy shocks.

"This is one of the most ambitious renewable energy targets in the world, far more than the targets set by developed countries," energy and climate change expert Chandra Bhushan told RFI.

"Overall, these targets are highly desirable, but will need major reforms in the transmission and distribution sectors and stable policies to achieve."

Manufacturing solar panels in in Oragadam, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.


Adani recently launched a major push for capital to finance his push for renewables, which he says is in line with India’s interests and New Delhi’s decarbonisation goals.

“We aligned our business and business ambition in line with government wishes. And because of that we always got tailwind,” Adani said in an interview with the Financial Times.


Betting on green hydrogen


In recent months, Adani's net worth has shot up nearly 2,000 per cent to $125 billion according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.

Earlier this year, Adani Enterprises announced a partnership with France’s TotalEnergies with an investment of $50 billion over the next 10 years.

Green hydrogen – hydrogen produced with renewable energy – is at the centre of these plans. Countries all over the world are racing to develop the fuel, which for the time being remains costly.

Addressing the World Congress of Accountants in Mumbai in November, Adani said that India could even become a net exporter of green energy by 2050.

"Cooling the planet down will be one of the most profitable businesses and the largest of job creators over the next several decades," he said. 

"I am in no doubt that India will lead the global energy transition."

Gautam Adani speaks at the World Congress of Accountants in Mumbai on 19 November 2022.

No plans to cut out coal


Adani's renewables arm, Adani Green Energy, says it is one of the largest renewable energy companies in India to develop, build, own, operate and maintain utility-scale, grid-connected solar and wind projects.

“Contributing to India’s renewable energy dreams, Adani Green Energy is on track to become world’s largest renewable energy company by 2030,” according to its website.

But environmentalists worry that India's continued use of coal will hamper the global fight against climate change, despite the country's commitment to clean energy.

The fossil fuel remains central to India's plans to power its growing economy, as well as to Adani's business. The billionaire has not made any commitments to phase out coal and continues to build coal-fired power plants.

"The shift to renewable energy is not an easy transition," said Sreedhar Ramamurthi of Environics Trust, a non-profit community development outfit.

"While making targets of increasing renewable energy, the government must look into the concern that it does not harm the environment."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×