Proposed ETHENS platform, supported by DVC, aims to accelerate a DISCOM-driven, region-specific clean energy transition aligned with India’s 500 GW and net-zero targets
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on Thursday brought together senior policymakers, regulators, distribution companies (DISCOMs), and energy sector leaders in Kolkata to deliberate on establishing the Energy Transition Hub for the Eastern and Northeastern States (ETHENS). Supported by Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), the proposed hub is envisioned as a demand-led, DISCOM-driven institutional platform to support a balanced and resilient energy transition tailored to the region’s unique challenges.
The high-level roundtable focused on designing ETHENS as a permanent mechanism to help utilities in eastern and northeastern India translate national clean energy ambitions into practical, utility-centric action plans. The move comes as India advances toward its target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070.
While the eastern and northeastern states remain central to India’s industrial ecosystem and natural resource base, stakeholders noted that the region faces distinct challenges. These include renewable energy integration, grid readiness, storage deployment, financial sustainability of DISCOMs, difficult terrain in the North-East, and legacy dependence on thermal assets.
Delivering the welcome address, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, underscored the need for region-specific institutional innovation. She emphasized that a uniform national framework cannot adequately address local constraints and that eastern and northeastern states require dedicated strategies to ensure an equitable transition.
In his opening remarks, Mr Dipak Dasgupta, Distinguished Fellow at TERI, highlighted the significant renewable energy opportunities in the region, backed by financing mechanisms. He noted that the transition must extend beyond capacity addition to include system-wide transformation.
Offering special remarks, Mr Suresh Kumar (IAS), Chairman of DVC, stressed the importance of targeted policy support to enable a fair and inclusive clean energy transition across the region. Mr Krushna Chandra Panigrahy, Director General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), pointed to low energy efficiency penetration in the region as both a challenge and an opportunity to drive innovation and cost-effective emission reductions.
In his keynote address, Mr Arup Sarkar, Member Finance, DVC, highlighted the financial dimensions of the transition and said ETHENS could help convert geographical and logistical constraints into opportunities for innovation. Mr Swapnendu Kumar Panda, Technical Member, DVC, reiterated that regional balance is integral to ensuring India’s clean energy transition remains just and nationally inclusive.
The second keynote address was delivered by H.E. Dr Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to East and Northeast India, who emphasized the importance of international collaboration under the UK-India Vision 2035 framework. He noted that knowledge exchange and innovation partnerships, including models from the UK’s clean energy ecosystem, could help ETHENS address region-specific challenges.
Concluding the inaugural session, Mr Sivakumar V Vepakomma, Director – Power Systems at Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), highlighted the importance of grid preparedness and phased capacity building to translate ideas into on-ground implementation.
Setting the context, Mr Ashish K Sharma, Associate Fellow at TERI, presented the proposed structure of ETHENS as a DISCOM-anchored platform supported by DVC, with TERI serving as the knowledge partner.
Stakeholder discussions, moderated by Mr Alekhya Datta, Director, TERI, and Mr NS Mondal, Former Member Secretary of the Eastern Regional Power Committee, focused on shared regional constraints such as aging thermal infrastructure, storage obligations, grid strengthening needs, workforce transition pressures, and institutional capacity gaps.
Participants emphasized that ETHENS must remain utility-centric, allowing DISCOMs to directly influence research priorities, pilot projects, and operational programmes. Mr Debashis Sen (Retd. IAS), former Chairman and Managing Director of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation, observed that the region’s structural challenges—including grid limitations, higher delivery costs, and coal dependence—require customized solutions rather than generic national templates.
The roundtable concluded with broad consensus on initiating evidence-based studies and pilot interventions in storage integration, automation, forecasting tools, decentralized energy systems, and capacity building.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Dr P K Bhattacharya, Director, TERI, said ETHENS represents a timely and region-focused platform designed to accelerate a just, inclusive, and resilient clean energy transition in Eastern and Northeastern India.
The deliberations are expected to inform the formal governance structure and first-year operational roadmap of ETHENS, with participating DISCOMs playing a central role in shaping its priorities.