Dear readers,

We present to you issue #4 of Energy Matters, our monthly newsletter on Energy Finance. Through this newsletter, we aim to bring you updates on the latest news in the energy sector; and analysis of the impacts, politics, investments, and science of the emerging developments in the energy sector.

The key story in this month remains the state oppression of a peaceful movement in Ratnagiri. Last month our colleague, Fouziya Tehzeeb wrote a report of a field visit members of CFA’s Oil and Gas team undertook to the area where the Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd is proposed to be built giving us a glimpse into the journey of communities who have struggled decade after decade to protect their lands, natural resources, and livelihoods. In the last week of April, the situation in Rajapur tehsil, Maharashtra turned tense in the context of the RRPCL project and people’s resistance to the project. We witnessed visuals of peaceful resistance by women of Ratnagiri leading an anti-refinery protest. Fouziya Tehzeeb further details the state repression in her follow-up article this month.

Soumya Dutta, in his monthly column, highlights the challenges for a Just transition which is becoming bigger and bigger by the year, and might soon become low use. That means we as a global society have to drastically speed up and scale up this decarbonisation process.

Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran writes on the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s delayed yet critical decision acknowledging the protracted struggle of the villagers and environmentalists, providing considerable (though interim) respite to their fight for justice.

We hope you find this newsletter useful, and we welcome your suggestions and feedback. Write to us at newsletter@cenfa.org.

The Editorial Team

Read the newsletter here: Energy Matters _ April 2023