WSC and OHPC will set up a Green Energy Centre of Excellence in Bhubaneswar to train 300 youth annually in solar energy, technology and maintenance
OdishaPlus Bureau
The World Skill Center (WSC) and Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) have partnered to establish a Green Energy (Solar) Centre of Excellence (CoE) at WSC’s Mancheswar campus in Bhubaneswar.
The centre will be funded under OHPC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, with a total allocation of nearly Rs 1.49 crore across the financial years 2026–27 and 2027–28.
The facility, spread over around 3,000 square feet at Kaushal Bhawan, will have demonstration and training systems covering rooftop solar, floating solar and solar-tracker technologies. It will also incorporate industrial technologies such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), remote monitoring, digital twins, predictive maintenance and Energy Management Systems (EMS).
According to WSC, the centre is expected to train around 300 youth every year in areas related to solar energy and its operation and maintenance. Training will focus on roles such as Solar PV Technicians, O&M Technicians, Site Supervisors and Energy Auditors.
The programmes will be open to youth from all districts of Odisha, with outreach planned in areas where OHPC operates. The initiative also includes provisions to encourage greater participation of women in the clean energy workforce.
The announcement was made in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Minister for Industry, Skill Development & Technical Education Sampad Chandra Swain.
During the event, Singh Deo also announced plans to increase the number of fully sponsored students at WSC from 60 to 100 annually, beginning this year. A proposal has also been made to establish WSC branches in Berhampur and Sambalpur to extend advanced skill training beyond Bhubaneswar.
Swain said the Centre of Excellence would help equip young people with skills relevant to the solar and green energy sector and contribute to employment opportunities associated with the state’s clean energy transition.
The proposed centre will draw on WSC’s existing training capabilities in areas including electrical systems, industrial automation, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. The integration of these areas with solar energy systems is intended to provide practical training in installation, operation, monitoring and maintenance.
Additional officials present at the MoU signing included Vishal Kumar Dev, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy; Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Skill Development & Technical Education; Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), WSC; Sandeep Pattnaik, Director, OHPC (HR); and other senior officials.