INDIA: Promoting Private Sector Participation for Renewable Energy Development in Odisha

This PPIAF funded activity took place on April 5 and 10, 2017. The main purpose of the mission was to organize a public workshop to support the Government of Odisha (GoO) in disseminating the Odisha State Renewable Energy Policy, which has been put in place in last November 2016.

Participants received the announcement of the Odisha State Renewable Energy Policy positively. Odisha, known as a rich state in natural resources, has the greatest potential of renewable energy up to 11,000 MW. As of February 2017, the State has only 142 MW from renewable energy out of the total installed capacity of 9,412 MW. Given that the energy demand rapidly increases in the state, the policy target of achieving 2,750 MW of renewable energy capacity addition by 2022 sends a strong signal on how GoO plans to provide 24/7 access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy in the state. During the workshop in Bhubaneswar, GoO represented by the Governor of Odisha also stressed the importance of policy implementation as a means of tackling state challenges such as fulfilling Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs), minimizing pollution from the energy-intensive fuels, and mitigating climate change impacts.