Bhubaneswar: Odisha reaffirmed its commitment to a sustainable energy future at the Conference of State Energy Ministers and Energy Secretaries of Eastern Region States and UTs, held in Patna under the chairmanship of Union Power Minister Manoharlal. Representing the state, Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo outlined Odisha’s strategic roadmap for building a resilient, green, and future-ready power sector. He emphasized that through targeted investments in renewable energy, robust transmission planning, cybersecurity measures, and financial reforms, Odisha is positioning itself as a model for energy transformation.
Singh Deo stated that Odisha has successfully moved from being merely power-sufficient to becoming a power-empowered state, capable of meeting its peak demand of 6,242 MW. Looking ahead, he said that by 2036, the state aims to source 61% of its power portfolio from non-fossil sources. Odisha plans to add 11,294 MW of renewable capacity, including solar, wind, hydro, distributed renewable energy (DRE), and pumped storage projects, with 3,904 MW already contracted.
Highlighting progress in infrastructure, Singh Deo noted the state’s success in enhancing grid resilience through the implementation of islanding schemes, which ensure uninterrupted supply during grid failures. Odisha’s vision includes the establishment of 225 substations and 20,939 circuit kilometers of transmission lines with a total transformation capacity of 45,369 MVA by 2030. He also underlined the state’s efforts to develop renewable power evacuation corridors, including key routes such as Hirakud–Kolabira–Duburi, Indravati–Theruvali–Gopalpur, Theruvali-Jayanagar with a 400kV loop-in-loop-out at Jayanagar pooling station, and the Balimela to Kolab to Jayanagar line.
Addressing the financial health of the power distribution sector, Singh Deo reported a significant reduction in Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, which have dropped from 29.5% in FY21 to 16.5% in FY25. He pointed out that three out of Odisha’s four DISCOMs received A+ ratings in the 12th and 13th Annual Rankings of Power Distribution Utilities, placing them among India’s top-performing utilities.
Singh Deo also urged the central government to support Odisha’s energy initiatives through the sanction of ₹6,284 crore under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. He called for central financial assistance for disaster-resilient power infrastructure, the allocation of 800 MW power from NLC Talabira Phase II to Odisha, and funding for green energy transmission corridor projects. He further appealed for viability gap funding for pumped storage projects in line with incentives for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), as well as support for floating solar and offshore wind projects, and a study of tidal energy potential along Odisha’s coastline.
The Deputy Chief Minister requested the exemption of the ₹400 per tonne compensation cess on coal from the Manoharpur Captive Coal Mine to the OPGC-linked plant and sought relaxation in fly ash utilization targets. He also called for the allotment of MCL mine voids for fly ash backfilling and urged the Centre to relax the requirement for forest clearance NoCs under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 for transmission line projects.
The Patna conference served as a crucial platform for Eastern states to share best practices, address challenges, and coordinate their energy development strategies in line with national priorities. Odisha’s strong push for clean energy, infrastructure modernization, and financial sustainability was recognized as a forward-looking approach that could set benchmarks for other states.
