Odisha’s New Renewable Policies for 2022–30 Eye Green Energy

The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST),  an independent non-profit environmental research and innovation organisation, has started a discourse on creating the roadmap with an emphasis on the creation of green energy and jobs as Odisha prepares to create its new renewable policies for 2022–30.

By the end of this year, the current RE policy, which was implemented in 2016, will expire. Although the current strategy set a modest goal of installing 2,750 MW of RE capacity by 2022, just 617 MW—less than 25% (pc) of the goal—had been installed by the end of March.

Odisha, which relies heavily on coal to cover its energy needs, has been importing renewable energy from other states, including solar and wind power, to meet its Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO), which was established under the Central government guidelines.

Since the state’s RPO target for 2022–23 is 11.5 percent, 11.5 percent of the electricity used in Odisha during the current fiscal year must come from renewable sources. By 2029–2030, the goal will rise to 43.33 percent.

There is a widespread assumption that Odisha doesn’t have the potential for renewable energy, according to Chandra Bhushan, President, and CEO of iFOREST. Analysis reveals that the State has significant RE potential that must be unlocked by an original policy. By 2030, the new RE policy should call for 30 GW of renewable energy.

Due to several institutional and commercial difficulties, the RE sector has not yet expanded in the State. These issues must be resolved through creative land policy, better incentives, and novel procurement methods.

Odisha needs to include landowners and farmers in RE development (New Renewable Policies). In addition to rooftop solar and distributed renewable energy, the production of green energy should be promoted on water bodies and wastelands like abandoned mines to create revenue and jobs, according to Mandvi Singh, the program lead for iFOREST’s energy and climate change program.