We cordially invite you to the fourth edition of the Modern Energy Cooking Forum 2025, organised by the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) Programme, through its In-country partner, India, Finovista. The Forum was established in 2022 with the aim of intensifying the cooperation amongst the stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in the areas of modern energy for clean cooking by offering them a platform to promote dialogue and exchange ideas to leverage investment in renewable energies, particularly electricity access, to address the clean cooking challenge.

Clean cooking, which refers to using fuels that are less polluting in the kitchen, such as LPG/PNG, biogas, ethanol, Solar, and electricity for cooking purposes, has been on the development agenda for decades. But, in recent years, it has become a major priority on the global development agenda as part of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Affordable and clean energy of the World Bank. Globally, more than 2 billion people 1lack access to clean cooking energy and rely on traditional fuels for their daily cooking requirements. In India, 63.4% of households use clean fuels like LPG for cooking, with urban penetration at 92.9% and rural at just 49.3% 2. After universal access to electric energy, the biggest energy access challenge that India needs to resolve is the transition to clean cooking. Consequently, this causes twin problems of high ambient air pollution coupled with health hazards for some of the vulnerable sections of society, including women and children. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 40% of premature deaths due to air pollution are attributable to IAP, resulting in 4 million premature deaths annually globally (WHO, 2012), including more than 1.2 million deaths in India3 every year. The magnitude of the challenge is large, leading to a huge adverse impact on the economy and the well-being of the people.

Electric cooking (eCooking) offers a clean, efficient, convenient and cost-effective alternative, producing no harmful emissions and supporting safer kitchen environments. Devices like induction cooktops and electric pressure cookers are up to 83% efficient, compared to 40% for LPG, and reduce dependency on gas refills4. At a national level, India imports over USD 125 billion worth of fossil fuels annually5, highlighting the need for sustainable and locally available energy alternatives. Recognising this, the Government of India has been actively promoting electric mobility and electric cooking through initiatives like the GoElectric Campaign (2021)6, and programs supporting energy-efficient cooking. With India becoming an electricity-surplus nation in 20207, achieving 50% of it’s installed capacity from renewable sources8 and now offering 22–24 hours of electricity access, even in rural and remote areas, there is a timely opportunity to transition to electric-based cooking solutions.