Odisha govt, BPCL sign MoU for developing renewable energy plant

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 12 : The Odisha Government and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to take vital steps towards the proliferation of green energy in the state.
Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Managing Director Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (IPICOL), and Amit Garg, Executive Director Renewable Energy, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), signed a Memorandum of Understanding 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, etc.
"Green Hydrogen would help the industries to cut aggregate emissions of Green House Gases (GHGs) thus contributing to the overall objectives of the Government of India's INDC targets," said a statement from IPICOL.
"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," it further added.
Chief Secretary, Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, stated, "We have huge natural resources and due to the expanding steel making industry, green energy is a big prospect in Odisha and it has a high potential for production of green energy from ethanol, solar and hydrogen."
"Also, we have major ports and developing new ones, which will help BPCL to export the green hydrogen and ammonia to other countries."
Principal Secretary Industries, Hemant Sharma said, "Today Odisha is the single largest manufacturer of steel in the country. More than 33 per cent 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.
Highlighting the growing demand for green energy, Chairman and MD BPCL Arun Kumar Singh said, "Odisha figures out in its innovative ventures. Many parts of Odisha has great potential for production of solar and green-based ethanol energy".
Singh, further stated that 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, he added
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.