Odisha to host the Global Energy Leaders’ Summit 2025 in Puri, uniting global experts and policymakers to shape India’s long-term clean and sustainable energy future
OdishaPlus Bureau
Odisha is poised to host the Global Energy Leaders’ Summit (GELS) 2025 from December 5-7 in Puri, uniting global and national energy leaders to discuss India’s long-term energy strategy.
Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo referred to GELS 2025 as “a COP for India’s energy sector,” highlighting its significance in enhancing both cooperative and competitive federalism by providing a platform for States to share successful models and embrace innovation-driven approaches.
Singh Deo, who is at the helm of the summit, emphasized Odisha’s historical role as the first state in India to reform its power sector during the 1990s.
Principal Secretary of the Energy Department, Vishal Kumar Dev, emphasized that Odisha is fully prepared to host this significant Summit. He remarked that “the upcoming decade of India’s energy reform will be characterized not only by increased capacity but also by fortifying institutions, enhancing coordination, and fostering collaboration among States. Odisha was the pioneer in India’s power sector reforms in the 1990s; by hosting the inaugural GELS 2025, this legacy continues.”
Structured similarly to the global COP, the summit will gather representatives from the Union Government, approximately 15 Indian States, and over 30 national and international experts, as stated by Vishal Kumar Dev, Principal Secretary of Energy, Electronics & Information Technology.
The central theme for GELS 2025 is “Powering India: Sufficiency, Balance, Innovation.” This theme reflects the nation’s energy priorities: “Sufficiency” to ensure adequate and affordable power for everyone; “Balance” to align ecological requirements with economic activities; and “Innovation” across technology, finance, and policy to navigate the changing global energy landscape.
The summit will enable high-level discussions on forward-looking and technical subjects such as power trading, energy storage, nuclear power generation, data sharing, and the use of AI for grid security.
A prestigious group of speakers will be involved, featuring Ms. Lena Backer, Chairwoman of the India–EU Trade Council; Ms. Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); Mr. Pierre Noël, Senior Energy Adviser at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; and Praveer Sinha, CEO of Tata Power. B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, will participate in the closing plenary session.
Key dignitaries from the government include Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy; Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Power & New & Renewable Energy; Chief Ministers Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh and Vishnu Deo Sai of Chhattisgarh; along with several State Energy Ministers and Secretaries.
The summit, organized in collaboration with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and IIT Kanpur, will be officially inaugurated on December 6 by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida. Delegates will also have the opportunity to experience the state’s culture with a visit to the Konark Festival on December 5.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to achieve Net Zero by 2070, GELS 2025 aims to create a lasting framework for collaboration among States, national institutions, and international experts to shape the future of India’s energy sector.