This is a special report in the World Energy Outlook series (IEA, 2021). It explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for India as it seeks to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to a growing population. The report examines pathways out of the crisis that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as longer-term trends, exploring how India’s energy sector might evolve to 2040 under a range of scenarios.

The report consists of 4 chapters: 1) Energy in India today; 2) Urbanisation and industrialisation in India; 3) Fuels and electricity in India; 4) Implications for India and the world.

Key messages relevant to biomass energy include:

-          12% of India’s energy needs are met through traditional uses of biomass: fuelwood, straw, dung, charcoal burnt in three‐stone fire or inefficient cook stoves.

-          660 million people continue the reliance on solid biomass, mainly firewood, as a cooking fuel.

-          Under the Sustainable Development Scenario, firewood and other traditional fuels would still be widely used for cooking by 2030.