Imperial partners with Indian energy giant Tata Power to drive green, reliable energy
The College signed a memorandum of Understanding with Indian energy giant Tata Power on 25 September, building a long-term partnership that follows from previous collaborations in research.
Who is Tata Power? Part of the Tata Group, it is one of India’s largest integrated power companies, spanning generation to distribution. Tata Power currently operates 15.7 GW, 7 GW of which (~44.6%) are sourced in renewable energy. The Group aims to achieve 100% clean power generation by 2045. Tata Power CEO Dr Praveer Sinha says India’s transition now demands grids, storage and digital systems that work together, not just faster renewables. Professor Mary Ryan, Vice Provost (Research and Enterprise), calls Tata a “fantastic partner” for Imperial.
The partners have agreed to explore opportunities, building on earlier joint research into techniques for managing electricity demand, with the main goal explained as combining Imperial’s research quality and facilities with Tata Power’s industrial scale and renewable energy investing experience.
New technologies are aimed to be rolled out in both India and the UK, to support the UK-India Net Zero Innovation Partnership established by both governments in 2023.
The deal will also explore energy storage, AI, industrial decarbonisation and grid modernisation, hoping to “accelerate next-generation energy solutions, unlock new commercial opportunities and support sustainable growth in both countries”, says Harjinder Kang, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia and Western India’s British Deputy High Commissioner.
Imperial will also put forward efforts from its School of Convergence Science in the partnership, with the goal of supporting HELIX, an initiative that aims to utilise the latest integrated technologies to provide equitable access to clean energy to ten billion people.
No funding figures or timelines have been disclosed.
