Bhubaneswar: The first-ever Policy Advocacy and Vision Group (PAVG) meeting on Renewable Energy was held today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, Odisha Pradeep Kumar Jena.
The members of the PAVG, Development Commissioner-cum -ACS, Smt. Anu Garg, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, Mr. Nikunja Bihari Dhal, Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Mr. Vishal Kumar Dev, Mr. P K Pujari, Former Secretary(Power) & Chairman, CERC, Prof. Sukumar Mishra, IIT Delhi, Prof. Anoop Singh, IIT Kanpur, Prof. Chandrasekhar N. Bhende, IIT Bhubaneswar, Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD Tata Power, Sri Rajesh Srivastava, Aditya Birla Group attended the meeting and participated in the deliberation.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Secretary stressed the importance of ensuring proper and timely implementation of the Renewal Energy Policy (RE) and reaffirmed the State’s energy transition goals. He also emphasized making RE an integral part of the State’s overall energy policy towards achieving installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity in Odisha by 2030.
At the outset, the Director (Fin. & CA), GRIDCO Sri G.B. Swain presented an overview of the incentives and exemptions available for promoting RE projects in Odisha, which included streamlining of access to land, statutory clearances and connectivity. He also highlighted the success of the single-window clearance committee system for facilitating coordination and hassle-free investment. GRIDCO, as the Nodal Agency, has successfully coordinated the assessment of resource potential for various RE technologies in the State and in this direction, a dedicated web portal has been launched to provide a single-window access to services and information for developers and the public, informed Sri Swain.
During the deliberation, the committee members shared their thoughts and put forth valued suggestions in determining appropriate land leasing costs for RE projects considering the unique land distribution and geographical conditions of the State. The need for a dedicated rooftop policy to maximize the potential of commercial and residential rooftops was also addressed. The discussions extended to topics such as EV charging infrastructure, next phase of the State’s EV policy and the future action plan of the State for development of wind energy. The meeting also prioritized the consolidation of various Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) working on the implementation of RE projects in the State.
The Government of Odisha has constituted a Policy Advocacy & Vision Group (PAVG), to act as a think tank and key advisor on diverse Policy related issues. The PAVG is a body of intellectuals, professionals, and practitioners from various fields such as academia, research, industry, commerce, administration, finance, marketing, international developmental financing, etc. GRIDCO, being the Nodal Agency for the implementation of RE policy in the State serves as the secretariat for the PAVG.
The PAVG’s role is crucial in making recommendations to the State Government on priority areas for the growth and adoption of new RE technologies, the constitution of Special Task Forces from time to time, or any aspect of promotion of RE project development in the State.
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