The event witnessed participation from Industry Leaders, Thought Leaders and Policy Makers from around the world.
The focus was on creating a roadmap for the power sector and envisioning energy security for the country
Network18 hosted the India Power Conclave, an Idea Leadership Forum on the energy sector, yesterday at Hyatt Regency in New Delhi. The day-long conclave witnessed key stakeholders from the Central and State Governments and some of the biggest and most influential leaders from the industry – all of them were present together on a common platform to chalk out a roadmap for the sector and envision energy security for the country.
Moderated by Senior editors from Network18 including Shereen Bhan, Manisha Natarajan, Nithya Balakrishnan, Anshu Sharma and Shruti Mishra, the conclave was designed to carry out conversations around the future, the new-age practices introduced and at the same time, analyse the significant changes seen so far – factors that have contributed to the development of the power industry.
The different sessions took a holistic look at the energy perspective in Indian states, energising DISCOMs, next-gen technologies, energy entrepreneurs, renewable energy, global best practices and more, with participation of CXOs from public and private companies in the power sector.
The Chief Guest of the day, Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India shared his vision on the Indian power sector in an interaction with the Industry Leaders present at the conclave.
Some of the key statements made at the India Power Conclave:
R.K. Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy:
We were given about 18,000 villages, which were not electrified. We have already covered 15,400. Govt will be calling in bids for 20,000 MW of wind and solar energy.As the India growth story advances, the demand for power will grow. This is a good time to invest in India. Expect a major announcement regarding the power sector from PM Modi on the 25th of September.
Shrikant Sharma, Energy Minister, Uttar Pradesh:
We have a commitment to give power to all, under the vision of PM Modi and our UP Chief Minister. Earlier electricity was provided in only five districts of Uttar Pradesh, which has increased to 75 districts now. Our vision is to light up all villages in UP by 2018. Power theft is a national crime. Legal action will be taken against people who try to hinder it. PM Modi’s Digital India dream will now come true as all energy related facilities are being made available online.
Before October 2018, under the Power for All scheme, 1 crore 10 lakh un-electrified families and 59,000 primary schools will be provided with electricity.
Some of the key statements made by other speakers were:
Peter Nicholls, Fellow, Perth USAsia Centre – India can be a hub of innovation in the power sector. The issue is not investment, its mindset and determination.
Nina Vaskunlahti, Ambassador of Finland to India – India needs to be more innovative to answer the challenges of the power sector. Surroundings and needs defer, hence solutions need to differ to answer demands.
Dr. Rahul Tongia, Fellow, Brookings India – Commercial and industrial tariffs for power in India are too high. The richest states in India have some of the highest residential subsidies.
MM Nayak, CMD, Southern Power Distribution Company of AP Ltd – Franchising in the power sector focuses more on urban areas, we need to focus on rural areas too.
Dayal Nathan, Founder, Energyly – The challenge of the power industry is awareness and incentives. This needs to be addressed.
New-age entrepreneurs can’t compete with the big players. They need to focus more on technology.
Vikram Kailas, CEO, Mytrah – Powering a Billion Dreams – There is a fourth revolution going on in the energy sector. We should look into the future and invest in batteries, electric vehicles, renewable energy, which will in turn address a gamut of issues.
Sunil Jain, CEO, Hero Future Energies – Large scale adoption of waste to energy technologies in Smart Cities is a must.
Along with Indian leaders and experts, the Conclave witnessed participation from 10 international speakers and delegates from over 20 countries. India Power Conclave’s official partners included top Indian and International organizations such as Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), McKinsey & Company, Brookings India, India Smart Grid Forum, WBCSD and International Solar Alliance. Finland was the Country Partner for the conclave and Andhra Pradesh was the State Partner.