Puri: Principal Secretary for Energy, Shri Vishal Kumar Dev, has orchestrated the Global Energy Leaders’ Summit (GELS) 2025, a landmark international gathering in Puri from December 5-7, positioning Odisha at the forefront of India’s clean energy transition. The event, which Mr. Dev is leading with significant drive and meticulous execution, is designed as “a COP for India’s energy sector,” aiming to shape the nation’s long-term energy roadmap.
The Summit was formally inaugurated on December 6 by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Union Minister New & Renewable Energy, Shri Pralhad Joshi underscoring strong political support for this pan-India initiative. The three-day event is expected to move beyond dialogue to establish a sustained mechanism for collaboration aligned with India’s Net Zero 2070 vision, reinforcing the country’s leadership in the global clean-energy transition.
The Summit’s central theme is “Powering India: Sufficiency, Balance, Innovation.” This focus reflects the country’s core priorities: ensuring adequate and affordable power supply, harmonizing ecological needs with economic activities, and accelerating technological and policy breakthroughs.
The global show, organized in partnership with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, has brought together an impressive array of participants. These include Union and State Energy Ministers, secretaries from approximately 15 Indian states, and over 30 national and international energy experts from more than seven countries, including Brazil, Singapore, and Canada. Key speakers feature leaders like Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of IRENA, and Lena Backer of the India–EU Trade Council, alongside Indian industry giants such as Tata Power CEO Praveer Sinha.
Shri Dev emphasized the event’s importance, noting that the next decade of India’s energy reform will depend heavily on strengthening institutions, improving coordination, and fostering collaboration among states. He highlighted that hosting the inaugural GELS is a continuation of Odisha’s legacy as the first Indian state to undertake power sector reforms in the 1990s. The platform’s unique value lies in enabling states to exchange successful models, confront shared challenges, and explore technical topics like energy storage, green hydrogen, and AI-driven grid security.