Hormuz Crisis: German ambassador pushes for India-Germany renewables partnership

Germany and India are poised to deepen their collaboration on renewable energy, with Berlin offering cutting-edge technology and New Delhi leveraging its massive scale and vibrant private sector, the German Ambassador to India has said.

Speaking to WION's Sidhant Sibal, ahead of a climate talk on industrial green transition, Dr Philipp Ackermann described the bilateral relationship as "a partnership that is equal to none" and a unique selling point for both nations. "Germany has the technology and India has the scale," he noted.

“It's not only government-to-government but is also including the private sector... When we join hands I think we achieve the goal we both have and aimed to become more resilient, more independent from fossil fuel.” Ackermann highlighted India's potential as a global "green hub", praising its dynamic private sector's conviction that renewables represent a strong business case.

"India has a very strong private sector, very confident sector... renewable energies are business case you can make good money with it. And therefore that's what business thrives [on]," he said. "I am very, very confident that India is a very important hub for that."

The remarks come as global energy markets face severe disruption. With the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for oil and gas shipments, effectively blocked for an extended period, both countries are feeling the pain of volatile fuel prices. "Energy is the question of the moment... India has a particularly strong impact on that because you have a big part of your population [that] is rather vulnerable when it comes to energy and gas and fertilisers. But also Germany has this strong impact, our fuel prices are also going through the roof," Ackermann explained.

The ambassador said the crisis reinforces a clear lesson for both nations: accelerate the shift to renewables. "What is the lesson we learn from that? We become more independent from fuel, and that means invest in renewables, and that's what we do together."

On the trade front, Ackermann expressed strong optimism about the long-awaited India-EU Free Trade Agreement, calling it “one of the best achievements of the current year.” "I am pretty confident that it will be signed by the end of this year... before the end of the Indian fiscal year," he added, referring to March 2027. The partnership aligns with India's ambitious renewable energy targets and Germany's push for green industrial transformation under its Energiewende policy.