Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a five-year period to collaborate in the fields of the feasibility of setting up renewable energy plant and green hydrogen plant (both for domestic and export customers), round the clock (RTC) power for consumers and proposed green hydrogen plants, setting up of requisite infrastructure, training, and knowledge sharing.

Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Managing Director IPICOL and Amit Garg, Executive Director Renewable Energy, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), signed the MoU yesterday in a step towards the proliferation of green energy in the State.

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Green Hydrogen would help the industries cut aggregate emissions of GreenHouse Gases (GHGs) thus contributing to the overall objectives of the Government of India’s INDC targets.

Odisha, being a power surplus state, is looking to further strengthen its position in power and these upcoming plants will help Odisha-based heavy industries to supplement their growing power requirements.

The MoU signing ceremony was presided over by Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, Chief Secretary. PK Jena, Development Commissioner, Arun Kumar Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and other dignitaries from the government, oil industry, and environmentalists were present at the event.

Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, Chief Secretary thanked BPCL for coming up with green hydrogen projects and said, “We have huge natural resources and due to the expanding steel making industry, green energy is a big prospect in Odisha.

Also, we have major ports and developing new ones, which will help BPCL to export the green hydrogen and ammonia to other countries, he added.

PK Jena, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary, gave assurance that Odisha will provide every help to build these plants to generate green energy.

“Odisha is the single largest manufacturer of steel in the country. More than 33% of the steelmaking capacity is now in Odisha though making it the primary prospect of green hydrogen and green ammonia. Because of the value addition policy, the demand is only going to increase in future”, Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary Industries said.

“BPCL aspires to be the world’s most admired energy firm by combining skill and technology. Given our constant pursuit of customer service quality excellence, we at BPCL aim to achieve Net-Zero, in Scope I and II emissions, by 2040. BPCL also plans to spend Rs. 25,000 crore to build a renewable energy capacity of 10 gigawatts comprising a mix of solar, wind, small hydro and biomass by 2040”, said Arun Kumar Singh, Chairman, and Managing Director, BPCL.

Other Dignitaries who were present during the ceremony from the Government of Odisha were Nikunja Bihari Dhal, Principal Secretary Energy and Vishal Dev, Principal Secretary Finance. Other Dignitaries who were present during the meeting from BPCL were Debashish Naik, Head Retail (East), BPCL, and Priyadarshee Panda, State Head (Retail) BPCL Odisha.