India and Argentina have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of renewable energy. During the bilateral meeting between the Argentinian delegation led by Dr Antonio Bonafatti, Governor of Santa Fe, Rosario Province, Argentina and Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, it was decided to explore avenues for cooperation in the fields of solar energy, wind energy and bio-fuel generation.

Welcoming the delegation, Dr Farooq Abdullah underscored the important role that India could play in developing the solar energy and wind energy potential of Argentina.

He said that under the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission, an ambitious target of 1 lakh MW of solar power has been set up for the year 2022. India is the 5th largest wind energy producer in the world and it could also give training to the people from Argentina in the solar energy as well as wind energy areas.

Dr Antonio Bonafatti highlighted the strength of Argentina in the field of bio-fuel generation and expressed confidence that the cooperation between the two countries could open new vistas for export of bio-fuels to India. Simultaneously, Indian companies could invest in Argentina in the fields of solar power and wind energy.

Dr Farooq Abdullah also invited the Argentinian delegation to visit Jodhpur for having a look at the solar power plants there and also to visit Jaisalmer, Rajasthan to experience the wind power generation projects that have been implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. A 39-member Argentinian delegation is on a three-day visit to India to explore strengthening of cooperation in different areas.