Global Energy Leaders’ Summit (GELS) 2025 at was today inaugurated at Puri. GELS is India’s first platform dedicated to long-term energy cooperation between states and has been modelled along the lines of global platform COP, held in Brazil in recent past. The Summit positions Odisha at the forefront of the nation’s clean, resilient, and innovation-driven energy transition. GELS is designed as a permanent mechanism for structured dialogue between States and national institutions. It brings together leaders from the Union Government, States, global agencies, industry, and top research institutions. The theme for this year, “Powering India: Sufficiency, Balance, Innovation,” reflects India’s strategic priorities for energy sufficiency, ecological harmony, and technology-led innovations across the energy sector.
GELS was inaugurated by Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister, Odisha along with Shri. Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, who delivered the Keynote Address. Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister Odisha, outlined the Summit’s vision. Power Ministers of Delhi, and Rajasthan participated at GELS.
At the ceremony, leaders spoke about the choice of Puri for the launch of this national platform. Shri Mohan Charan Majhi stressed on the need for uninterrupted power particularly for rural and poorer masses. Citing Odisha’s high percentage of more than six percent of the state’s gross domestic product allocated to capital expenditure, he said that the state was investing in future generations and electricity was a top priority and critical infrastructure. He also stated that like Odisha, every state had its strengths and priorities. GELS 2025 will be the first pan-India initiative bringing together the Union, states, industry, researchers, institutions and global leaders.
Shri Pralhad Joshi thanked the Government of Odisha for the initiative and announced the approval of one and half lakh Surya Ghar (rooftop solar installations), that will benefit seven to eight lakh people in the state. India’s solar capacity increased from 2.8 GW in 2014 to 130 GW under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He acknowledged Odisha’s significant contribution in strengthening India’s transition to clean energy.
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Tony Blair, addressed virtually, congratulating Odisha. Conveying his optimism about GELS he noted “Energy transitions succeed not when one government acts, but when many governments over time pull in the same direction”.
Deputy Chief Minister Shri. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, thanked the delegates who have travelled to attend the Summit despite the flight disruptions. He said, “The Konark Sun Temple reminds us that India’s relationship with energy has been part of our civilization for centuries, and Puri showcases the meaning of collective strength each year with the annual Rath Yatra. Sharing Odisha’s vision in this direction, he said, “By 2030, we aim for a strong shift to renewable energy across industry and agriculture, by 2036, when Odisha turns 100, we want to be the leading centre for clean energy, manufacturing, and green hydrogen. By 2047, we hope to anchor the Net Zero industrial ecosystem based on clean fuel, circular systems and innovation.”
Across their remarks, leaders converged on a shared objective: to institutionalise collaboration well beyond the three-day summit. Shri Ashish Sood, Minister of Power, Delhi, noted that future challenges cannot be solved by States working in isolation, calling GELS a unifying platform for grid reform, renewable expansion, and institutional strengthening. He said, “The next decade of India’s energy journey will depend on how effectively we modernise, stabilise, digitalise and secure our grids, while addressing rising demands.” Shri Heera Lal Nagar, Hon’ble Minister of Energy, Rajasthan, congratulated and thanked the Odisha government for creating a platform like GELS that will enable collaboration and knowledge-sharing among states.
GELS 2025 is being attended by a distinguished lineup of global and national figures shaping energy transitions worldwide. Participants include Ms. Lena Backer, Former Chairwoman of the India-EU Trade Council; Dr. Andrew Fleming, Deputy High Commissioner of the United Kingdom; Ms. Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of IRENA; Mr. Pierre Noël, Senior Energy Adviser at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO of Tata Power; Prof. Anoop Singh, Head of the Centre for Energy Regulation and Energy Analytics Lab at IIT Kanpur; and Prof. Srinivasan Madhavi, Executive Director of the Energy Research Institute at NTU Singapore. They are joined by technical and sectoral specialists such as Mr. William Morrison of MetricsLed (UK), Dr. Dhruba Purkayastha of ORF, Prof. Raghu Murtugudde of the University of Maryland, Senior Advocate Sanjay Sen, and Prof. Subranshu Samantaray of IIT Bhubaneswar.
The Summit adopts a structured format that follows COP and is grounded in a community-of-practice approach. Over two days, leaders, experts, and industry titans will engage in thematic panel discussions, interactive dialogues with global experts, deep-dive sessions on frontier issues such as AI-enabled grid security, carbon markets, climate risk, nuclear innovation, and advanced financing, and closed-door deliberations between CEOs and ministers.
GELS 2025 is organised in partnership with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK). Both institutions bring deep expertise in energy policy, institutional strengthening, and innovation ecosystems. The platform draws inspiration from global initiatives such as communities of practice for Education Ministers in Latin America and regional coordination mechanisms across the African energy sector. TBI’s Mr. Pierre Noël commended the Government of Odisha for establishing “a structured forum for long-term cooperation at a moment when India must lead not only domestically but globally.”
Aligned with the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to achieve Net Zero by 2070, GELS 2025 seeks to build a sustained mechanism for inter-state coordination, strengthen institutions, promote innovation in areas ranging from renewable energy and storage to nuclear technologies and AI-driven grid systems, and develop shared frameworks to support investment-friendly and equitable clean-energy growth. Through the discussions, working groups, and forthcoming declarations, the Summit is expected to significantly shape India’s long-term energy roadmap and cement the country’s leadership in the global transition towards clean, reliable, competitive, and inclusive power systems.
Sustainability is an integral component of GELS 2025 and is organised with a low carbon footprint using eco-friendly materials. This is perhaps the first such event in Odisha. The carbon-footprint of the event will be measured, and neutralised through appropriate steps such as recycling and plantations.
