Exploring a vision for Odisha s power system

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Exploring a vision for Odisha s power system November 2016 Stakeholder Workshop Insight summary About Power Up Odisha Power Up Odisha (PUO) is an ambitious initiative that seeks to accelerate

1 Exploring a vision for Odisha s power system November 2016 Stakeholder Workshop Insight summary About Power Up Odisha Power Up Odisha (PUO) is an ambitious initiative that seeks to accelerate progress towards a power system that enables 24x7 Power for All while ensuring the sustainable development of Odisha. Working closely with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Forum for the Future (Forum) is bringing together stakeholders from across the state to explore a vision that provides a shared sense of direction for the energy system in Odisha. Lessons from Odisha will be distilled and shared with other states through the DFID Power Sector Reform programme. About the Workshop On 30 November 2016, Forum facilitated a workshop in Bhubaneswar, which brought together stakeholders in Odisha s energy system to contribute insights towards a shared vision and the critical factors that will enable the vision to become a reality. The aim of the workshop was to: 1. Test and understand the impacts of four 2030 hypothetical energy mix scenarios in Odisha 2. Understand the priorities of key influencers within the energy system 3. Collect insights that will inform the building a successful vision This report provides a summary what we achieved and learnt from the workshop. For the latest updates on Power Up Odisha, contact Pallavi Ahuja at p.ahuja@forumforthefuture.org or visit the project page at

2 What we did Engaging a diverse group of participants Stakeholders at the workshop represented a diverse group of influencers acting upon different aspects of Odisha s energy system, from community representatives to district officials, rural banks, civil society, development professionals, social entrepreneurs and state department officials. Diversity of knowledge and perspective was crucial to the authenticity and relevance of the vision that would emerge from the process. The full list of participants and their feedback on the workshop can be found in the Annex. Exploring Odisha s future energy system in 2030 Following opening remarks from Bruce Bucknell, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, and Shri Rajesh Verma, the Principal Secretary of the Government of Odisha s Department of Energy, Will Dawson, Head of Energy at Forum for the Future, shared the key ingredients for a good vision, based on past successful projects such as the UK Community Energy Coalition 1. Participants then imagined a vision for the Odisha power system that was ambitious and stretching beyond the limits of what we believe is possible today, yet may be possible by This fruitful discussion was followed by presentations which equipped workshop participants with a broad understanding of the challenges that Odisha s energy system may face, and what the energy system could look like in 2030, if potential innovations go mainstream: 1. Council on Energy, Environment and Water: Abhishek Jain, Programme Lead, presented the current energy access situation in Odisha and used his team s quantitative modelling findings to illustrate the potential for decentralised renewable energy in the state s energy mix in The Batti Ghar Foundation: Prasanta Biswal, CEO, shared stories of what Odisha s future energy system could look like in practice, using examples such as Blockchain s impact on future energy transactions, possible impacts on decentralised renewable energy systems on disaster resilience and income generation. 3. Forum for the Future: Will Dawson, Head of Energy, presented Odisha s current energy landscape, and trends that could point to four different, yet plausible energy scenarios for the state by Scenario immersion and implications Forum then shared four outline hypothetical 2030 scenarios, each with different energy mixes, to test and understand the impacts and reactions elicited by each of the scenarios. Participants were organised into scenario groups, and Forum facilitators walked each group through the Futures Wheels technique, where participants explore the direct and indirect social, political, technological, economic and environmental impacts that their scenario will present for Odisha

3 Each group also imagined the reactions of 3 key influencers in each scenario: 1. A thermal power plant CEO 2. A distribution company (DISCOM) CEO 3. A State Assembly member (MLA) from a rural constituency The following is a summary of the hypothetical scenarios we explored: Renewable Local - decentralised energy access and management with decision making maximised at a community level; requires flexible, robust and efficient transmission and distribution system. All in RE large scale renewable energy deployment throughout the state powered by an open yet regulated market and heavy public-private and private investments; requires strong governance and policy shifts. Solar Central - decentralised and centralised solar-heavy energy access, designed to catalyse economic development in rural and urban areas; requires capital investment in storage systems and complex policy changes. Thermal Inertia - an aging transmission and distribution network leads to low reliability and high tariffs; requires a dependency on single fuel and increasing imports. The insights that emerged from the scenarios session allow for a better understanding of the tradeoffs that each scenario presents to different groups of people in Odisha. For example, in the All in RE 2030 scenario, an MLA will have ample opportunity to generate rural employment within his or her constituency, but face new governance challenges due to a decentralised economy and empowered community. In contrast, in the Thermal Inertia scenario, the MLA will may have fulfilled promises of household electrification, but faces high levels of discontent amongst the community due to the quality of transmission and health issues resulting from poor air quality. What we learnt Principles to guide the design of Odisha s future power system What would make the 2030 vision for Odisha effective? These design principles emerged from conversations that took place over the course of the workshop. The framing of the vision has to: Capitalise on the momentum created at global, national and state levels to stress urgency of sustainable energy solutions. Position electricity as a basic right, not a luxury, putting Odisha on par with the rest of India in terms of cost and quality of energy, with an energy mix that is appropriate for the targets set by the Paris Agreement. 3

4 Emphasise that energy is the means to multiple ends, not an end in itself e.g. contributing to improved health, livelihoods and education outcomes and economic prosperity. Introduce the principles of decentralisation, not just in technology or access, but also decision making and management e.g. customers and consumers should be empowered to generate and manage their own energy. The process of vision building has to: Take an ecosystems approach that looks at financial models, infrastructure, policy frameworks and technologies. Engage influential stakeholders such as government so that the vision can be owned. At the same time, there is a need not to rely entirely on political will. Manage the needs and potential resistance from different stakeholder groups. Join up existing efforts in a complementary fashion. Define interim goals and pathways to said vision e.g. yearly targets for impact indicators, such as carbon emissions from electricity production. We learnt from the scenario immersion exercise that it is important to articulate the outcomes that the different energy scenarios will have on other aspects of Odisha s economy and society. These outcomes include: Energy security in Odisha Affordable, clean and equitable 24/7 energy access, especially for marginalised communities Economic prosperity and livelihood generation Locally driven innovation to develop new markets for renewable energy products and services Local job creation and better education for formal skills, hence producing higher paying jobs Long-term investment planning in energy infrastructure and performance monitoring systems An equitable and complimentary mix of technology Secure, reliable and efficient transmission infrastructure Lastly, the scenarios exercise emphasised the need for public participation in policy making, and the need to facilitate bottom up policy recommendations to enable Odisha to achieve an ambitious 2030 power sector vision. What next? Forum is now working with DFID, MNRE and KPMG to set out the different possible future scenarios for the energy system in Odisha. We are exploring how different generation capacity and demand patterns can help achieve the goals set in the energy policies for the state, as well as broader outcomes such as disaster resilience, economic growth, smart city implementation and livelihood creation. Insights from the November 2016 stakeholder workshop are directly informing the design and content of these scenarios. The scenarios will be presented to senior decision makers and influencers in the state in order to aid the development and implementation of Odisha s energy strategy. 4

5 Annex The scenarios workshop was held on 30 November 2016 in Bhubaneswar. The workshop was attended by 38 participants from the following organisations: Participants 1. Bruce Bucknell British Deputy High Commission 2. Haimanti Poddar British Deputy High Commission 3. Itishree Kanungo Climate Parliament 4. PK Sahoo CYSD 5. Harsh Kothari Deloitte 6. Nishant Bharadwaj DFID 7. Dhanada Kanta Mishra DKM Consulting 8. Prasant Panigrahi Gayatri Solar 9. Sanjib Tripathy GEDCOL 10. Ajay Nayak GEDCOL 11. Ashutosh Bhat Gram Vikas 12. Sasmita Patajoshi GRIDCO 13. Sajib Sarangi Indian Grameen Service 14. Vibhuti Garg Indian Institute for Sustainable Development 15. Sarat Patnaik Koraput Farmer Association 16. Vikas Gaba KPMG 17. Dr. Piyush Rout LGNet 18. Bhagabati Prasad Pattnaik NIST 19. S K Sahu NS Power 20. G R Agni NS Power 21. Geetanjali Shahi Okapi 22. Nirmal Mohanty Onergy 23. Mrigakshi Das PhD Researcher 24. Kristina Skiera Power for All 25. Sanjit Behera Practical Action 26. Jessica Hines Purpose 27. Swathi Murali SELCO 28. Saloni Sachdeva Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation 29. Sagar Mahapatra Urjaa Samadhan 30. Pradeep Sahoo Urjaa Samadhan Presenters and facilitators 31. Anna Warrington Forum for the Future 32. Will Dawson Forum for the Future 33. Madhumitha Ardhanari Forum for the Future 34. Saksham Nijhawan Forum for the Future 35. Abhishek Jain CEEW 36. Sarah Ashraf CEEW 37. Prasanta Biswal Battighar Foundation 38. Palak Aggarwal Battighar Foundation 5

6 Participant feedback On the whole, participants were energised by the dynamism of the presentations and discussions in the workshop. There was a sense that the group of people that had been gathered represented a microcosm of Odisha s energy system, and that this was the first time the whole system had the opportunity to discuss these issues together. Upon the successful conclusion of the workshop, Forum sought participant feedback via an online form. Key insights included: Additional stakeholders to engage Respondents indicated that it will be important for the Power Up Odisha project to engage with SHG: Self Help Groups, FPO: Farmer Producer Organizations, Banks and financial organisations and most importantly, regulatory bodies and state nodal agencies. Importance of field experience and stories of failure alongside stories of success - There was feedback about the need to ground discussions in the realities of Odisha. One respondent highlighted the need to share practical, on-the-ground stories of both failure and success in deploying renewable energy in Odisha. Interest in continued and regular engagement A number of respondents expressed the need for more regular engagements like the workshop, to dive deeper into areas of focus, and add detail to Odisha s 2030 energy vision, in a way that would tie it to practical next steps. 9 of the 10 respondents indicated an interest to continue engagement via in person workshops and digital platforms. Quantitative results from the feedback are depicted in the table below: Criteria Mean Median How satisfied were you with the workshop overall? Venue Refreshments Welcome speakers Workshop facilitation 4 4 Workshop materials (posters, information sheets etc.) Structure of the workshop (presentations and group work) Communication s How satisfied were you with the content of discussion and presentations during the workshop? 4 4 How relevant was the workshop to you and your work? 4 4 6

Please send your responses by to: This consultation closes on Friday, 8 April 2016.

Please send your responses by to: This consultation closes on Friday, 8 April 2016. CONSULTATION OF STAKEHOLDERS ON POTENTIAL PRIORITIES FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN THE 2018-2020 WORK PROGRAMME OF HORIZON 2020 SOCIETAL CHALLENGE 5 'CLIMATE ACTION, ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCE EFFICIENCY AND