BRICS leaders at the New Delhi Summit adopted a photovoltaic industry action plan and broader clean-tech agenda, linking solar manufacturing, hydrogen, smart grids and energy storage with industrial development.
The declaration stresses value addition in critical minerals, resilient supply chains, climate finance, and a just energy transition that balances rising clean energy deployment with continued fossil fuel use in emerging economies.
BRICS leaders on September 12 adopted a Terms of Reference and Action Plan for the BRICS Photovoltaic Industry Working Group and called for “value addition and economic diversification” in resource-rich countries as part of a wider push to strengthen clean technology manufacturing and resilient supply chains across the Global South.
The measures were part of the 45-page New Delhi Declaration adopted on the first day of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, which brought together the bloc’s 11 members. The expanded grouping, which also includes 10 partner countries, represents 49.5 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product and 26 per cent of global trade.
The declaration also advances cooperation on low-emission hydrogen, smart grids, energy storage, sustainable mobility and climate finance, while linking energy transition with industrial development and economic resilience.
Under the photovoltaic industry action plan, BRICS members will establish national knowledge portals and support a BRICS Solar Photovoltaic Cooperation Roadmap covering technology, finance and skills.
The proposed roadmap provides an important opportunity to translate this scale into deeper industrial cooperation, according to Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, CEO, National Solar Energy Federation of India. “By bringing together the manufacturing strengths, technological capabilities, and rapidly growing markets of BRICS+ along with lessons from India’s solar success, we have an opportunity to make solar technologies more affordable, accessible and scalable.”
The declaration also calls for greater developing-country participation in higher-value manufacturing through investment, technology transfer and industrial cooperation and advances the BRICS Global Value Chain Action Plan 2026-2030.
“The bloc appears to be organising around competitiveness and forwarding a shared agenda in clean technology manufacturing for the Global South,” said Trishant Dev, deputy programme manager, Climate Change and Green Economy Programme, at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The declaration also calls for fair competition in renewable energy markets and links clean technology manufacturing with efforts to make supply chains more resilient.
On critical minerals, BRICS leaders affirmed their commitment to “reliable, responsible, diversified, resilient, fair, sustainable, and just supply chains”, while linking mineral development to domestic value addition, economic diversification and sovereign control over resources.
The declaration calls for greater participation by developing countries in higher-value manufacturing through investment, technology transfer and industrial cooperation.
Jagjeet Sareen, head of Asia-Pacific, Dalberg Advisors and host of the Bharat Climate Forum, said the affirmation on critical minerals, solar, green hydrogen and other clean technologies complemented the push for diversified manufacturing and clean-energy-based electrification.
“The affirmation by BRICS leaders on the need to promote reliable, responsible, diversified, resilient, fair, sustainable, and just supply chains of critical minerals, solar, green hydrogen and other clean tech is greatly valued, as it complements the push for diversified manufacturing and clean energy-based electrification across countries,” he said.
The declaration calls for “just, orderly, equitable, and inclusive energy transitions”, while foregrounding diversified energy sources and resilient value chains. It states that fossil fuels “will still play an important role in the world’s energy mix, particularly for emerging markets and developing economies”, reiterating the bloc’s emphasis on energy security alongside the transition.
“BRICS nations comprise a diverse mix of developing and emerging countries with growing energy needs, industrialisation aspirations, and multiple development challenges. It is unlikely that we will hear a fossil fuel phaseout declaration any time soon,” said Avantika Goswami, programme manager, Climate Change and Green Economy Programme, CSE.
“However, BRICS’ rapidly growing adoption of clean technologies like solar energy and electric vehicles positions them well to aim higher and aspire for a faster transition rather than lock-in vast amounts of fossil fuel infrastructure. BRICS nations are already generating more than half of the world’s solar power. Doubling down on scaling up renewable energy and economy-wide decarbonisation is the need of the hour, not only to cut emissions, but also to shield from volatility and supply disruptions like those precipitated by the Hormuz crisis,” she added.
The declaration also links the conflict in West Asia to energy and supply chain security, calling for the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure and the maintenance of trade, supply chains and energy flows. It links energy security with national security and development, while calling for stable energy supplies and protection of critical energy infrastructure alongside emissions reductions and equitable energy transitions.
As part of its focus on the energy transition, the declaration welcomes the BRICS Guiding Principles on Smart Grids and Energy Storage and India’s proposed BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage. Members also welcomed ongoing work on interoperable standards for zero and low emissions hydrogen and a joint report on hydrogen value chains.
The declaration identifies high debt burdens as a constraint on development and climate spending and calls for coordinated international action to improve debt sustainability and expand governments’ fiscal space.
It welcomes a central-bank report on sustainable and green finance, including adaptation, examining financing gaps and ways to make climate projects more bankable. It also calls on developed countries to provide “additional, adequate, predictable and accessible” finance, technology and capacity support for adaptation in developing countries.
BRICS also records progress on its Multilateral Guarantees initiative, including technical work and pilot transactions aimed at improving creditworthiness and reducing financing costs for development projects. The New Development Bank is expected to expand resource mobilisation and local-currency lending.
Ulka Kelkar, executive director, climate, economics & finance, World Resources Institute India, said the proposed BRICS Insurance Resilience Centre and BRICS Risk Lab could facilitate cross-country disaster risk pooling.
“BRICS countries are already large donors of climate finance, not just recipients, and the New Development Bank can continue to support projects for sustainable development and climate adaptation,” she said.
The declaration announces a BRICS Urban Mobility Hub for cooperation on accessible, affordable and smart urban transport, along with a BRICS Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework and continued discussions on a proposed BRICS Railway Research Network.
Members also committed to promoting Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Low-Carbon Aviation Fuels to reduce emissions from international aviation.
The declaration further backs early-warning systems and voluntary principles for climate-resilient urban infrastructure, while recognising the role of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in technical assistance, policy and financing.
The declaration calls for greater representation of developing countries in global institutions, including changes to International Monetary Fund voting shares and World Bank shareholding to reflect their growing economic weight.
It also seeks more representative and transparent selection of IMF and World Bank leadership, greater developing-country representation in the United Nations Security Council and senior UN positions, and increased participation by women.
Manjeev Puri, distinguished fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute, said the declaration reaffirmed key positions of the Global South and called for greater cooperation on cross-border trade and payments.
“The BRICS has reiterated some of the most important positions of the Global South,” he said. “We’ve strongly called out against unilateralism.”
Rathin Roy, distinguished professor, Kautilya School of Public Policy and Economic Advisor and Dean, GITAM School of Humanities and Social Sciences, noted that the term “Net Zero” is absent from the declaration.
He said the document frames sustainable development more broadly, with climate change presented as part of a wider set of issues including environmental degradation and inequality.
India’s year-long chairship convened more than 400 meetings and engagements across 30 cities in 2026. China will take over the BRICS chairship in 2027 and host the 19th BRICS Summit.