Minutes of National Conclave on ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE

Minutes of National Conclave on ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE
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Date: 26-27 March, 2011
Venue : Centre for Youth & Social Development, Institutional Area, Bhubaneshwar
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The conclave was organized under the banner of FOCUS ODISHA in collaboration with GREENPEACE,Centre for Education and Documentation(CED),Knowelge for Civil Society,Odisha Development Action Forum(ODAF), United Artists Association(UAA)along with few other organisations ;in the context of multiple crises in Power sector, and consequent issues of Climate Change and welfare of the masses. The conclave was probably the first of its kind in our country to discuss and determine a sustainable path to meet the energy needs of our society. More than 100 participants from various walks of life such as politicians, business leaders, entrepreneurs, environmental and energy experts, bureaucrats and civil society organizations attended this event.

The agenda for the meet was as in Annexure - 1.

The inauguration session was preceded by registration of the participants. List of participants is as in
Annexure - 2.

Though the original objective of the conclave was to bring together individuals, NGOs and other civil society organizations working on all aspects of energy on a single forum, due to lack of resources and time the deliberations in the conclave were largely restricted to issues surrounding the Power sector. In view of the huge deleterious impacts of conventional electricity generating plants on the social, economic and environmental aspects of our society, the sense of the meet was that issues surrounding electricity should be addressed as a top priority for the forum. The other forms of energy sources in our country should be addresses as when the opportunity arises or as a separate exercise in parallel to this electricity sector. Hence the main objective which emerged was to deliberate on major issues relating to electrical power scenario in India and to build a pressure group with grass roots backing to bring about necessary change in Government policy in formulating an integrated energy policy which is people centric, inclusive, environmentally sustainable, economically viable and congruent with the National Action Plan on Climate change. Within the framework of this broader objective, various panel discussions were oriented towards conventional forms of electricity generation, large scale and decentralized renewable electricity options, demand side management, equitable access and delivery systems. Besides these, the conclave was successful in agreeing to create a national level forum where various policy level issues on energy in general, and on power sector in particular, could be deliberated on, and suitable course corrections can be recommended to the government. It was decided to take up, on a continuing basis, the various issues in Power sector by clearly identifying relevant stakeholders, effectively lobbying and campaigning with Government institutions, suitably educating the masses, firmly bridging the gap between authorities and people; and rendering all possible technical and moral support to peoples’ movement on energy issues. A co-ordination committee to at the national level and four working groups were formed to take the relevant issues forward. The meeting ended with the hope that this forum will become a credible platform for all NGOs and individuals concerned with energy related issues to enable us to successfully lobby with the govt. to adapt a people centric energy policy.


Brief of various proceedings:

Day 1: Morning Session -10 am to 1 pm
Session 1
Panelists:
Facilitator: Walter Mendoza, Executive Director, Centre for Education and Documentation, Bangalore,
(i) Sri. Jagadananda, eminent social activist and RTI Commissioner of Odisha;
(ii) Sri. Arabinda Behera, Secretary, Department of Environment and Forest, Government of Odisha;
(iii) Sri. Soumya Ranjan Pattanaik, noted journalist and EDITOR-SAMBAD & KANAK TV

Welcome address was provide by Journalist and Convenor of FOCUS ODISHA, Sudarshan Chhotoray who also briefly mentioned the spirit and purpose of the conclave.

Sri. Jagadananda opined the need and urgency of such brainstorming forum in the wake of massive industrialization and associated socio environmental implications on society. He urged for visible demonstration on the ground in terms of raising the societal concerns to much higher levels through public sensitization and massive public education. Simultaneously, he stressed upon the disconnect that exists over issues as well as level of awareness at community end, and also recommended for advocacy and lobby initiatives through effectively using the Right to Information Act.

Sri. Arabinda Behera briefly pointed out the road map and strategy required for tackling the energy and climate change problems. He categorically said “Things have been done in business as usual manner” and “we have really miles to go” and urged for more guidance from intellectuals, scientific community, and civil society organizations.

Sri. Soumya Ranjan Pattanaik expressed concerns over the absence of holistic approach in developmental process and urged for more sustainable approach balancing environment and development.

One participant asked two specific questions of the panelists: (i) what can be done by the RTI Commissioner to ensure availability of all the project related information on the relevant websites without having to resort to specific application under RTI Act; (ii) on what basis has the Orsissa govt. entered into large number of MoUs totaling about 58,000 MW. The response from the panelists was vague, and hence not satisfactory.

Inaugural session was followed by introduction by participants.

The business part of the conclave started with a presentation by Shankar Sharma, power policy analyst, on “Towards a people centric energy policy: a case for reduced need for conventional power plants’’. He presented an over-view of the power sector scenario in the country, and briefly discussed the major issues facing the power sector. He emphasized the fact that despite about 110 times growth in the installed power capacity since independence about 40% of the population is still out of reach of the electricity supply network, whereas the social, economic and environmental problems associated with large conventional power plants are creating havoc, especially on the rural population. He drew the attention of the participants that whereas the burden on society of large conventional power plants is exponentially increasing while the gross inefficiency in the sector is leading to more of such power plants being built. The issues such as urgent need for realistic demand projection, efficiency improvement, demand side management, energy conservation, and widespread deployment of renewable energy sources in a distributed mode were emphasized. Objective costs and benefits analysis of every project along with effective public consultation was strongly advocated. The serious lacunae in the Integrated Energy Policy of the Planning Commission were highlighted, and a people centric electricity policy, along with an alternative model for demand - supply of electricity by 2031-32 was presented. The emphasis was for a paradigm shift in the way our society is looking at electricity demand and supply.

This presentation provided a broad background for further discussions. Lively discussions ensued after the presentation. Issues/concerns over commercial side of power losses in electricity sector, effective ways of demand side management through increasing the price of per unit of energy consumption, low carbon, low impact and high equity path were raised for dealing with the grave problems in the context of India.


Afternoon Sessions: 2 to 5.30 pm
Session 2: 2 to 3 pm
Conventional Energy Options – Coal, Large Hydro, Nuclear, Gas etc
Facilitated by Dr. Bharat Jhunjunwala

This session started with the comments from Dr. Bharat Jhunjhunwala, noted economist, columnist and academician regarding the need and urgency of objectively examining conventional energy options. He pointed out briefly the merits and demerits of coal, large hydro, mini hydro, nuclear and natural gas. He pointed out that natural gas cannot meet the growing demand, nuclear energy production will affect political sovereignty of the nation, and that hydro and mini hydros are equally dangerous in terms of socio and environmental cost. He opined that comparative cost and benefit analysis should be conducted and environmental cost need to be added to the production cost. He emphasized the need to engage in negotiation with government on all related issues, and suggested a broader framework which can effectively steer the local movements on energy issues.

Members actively participated in the ensuing discussions raising many crucial issues of concerns: need for realistic demand for electricity; lack of awareness on socio-environmental impacts on part of people who are projecting excessive the energy requirements; how much energy can be drawn from nature without damaging it permanently; reckless and unscientific energy consumption etc. The experience of Cheemeny power project proposal in Kerala was shared by the activists from in Kerala, and how they have come to the conviction that paradigm shift is necessary from the sustainability and development point of view. There was also a strong opinion by one member against increased pricing to reduce consumption of electricity. The mind set of general public and authorities was quoted as the reason for unrealistic projection of energy requirements.

Session 3: 3 to 4 pm
Large Scale and de-centralised Renewable Energy Options – Wind, Solar, Biomass etc
Facilitated by Preethi Herman, Greenpeace india

Discussion during the session included issues such as: the real need to appreciate the services provided by the energy as opposed to the need for certain quantum of energy alone; the huge scope in the existing electricity infrastructure for meeting the current demand without additional capacity; the huge relevance of decentralized renewable energy sources; the demerits associated with wind turbines (how large wind turbines in Rajasthan are expected to impact the entire monsoon regime in India); how unscientific cultivation of Jatropha can lead to food insecurity; urgent need to focus on enhancing efficiency in end use etc. The session also witnessed discussion on fundamentals of energy sources; the mode of development from Gandhian, to Shumakars Intermediate technology, to market driven approaches for solving the critical issues of energy and climate change; the hurdles involved in meeting all the energy requirements through new & renewable sources; difficulties to power-down the present societal life style. The concept of sustainable development was termed by one participant as oxymoron. There was also a strong suggestion to limit the GDP centred growth.

Session 4: 4 to 5 pm
Demand and Supply, Energy Access and Delivery Systems.
Facilitated by Walter Mendoza, Documentation Centre

Walter mentioned about determining the reasonable demand for power in the context of magnitude of multifarious problems associated with energy. He stressed upon need for ensuring equitable distribution of energy across the society. He highlighted the energy disparities based on in caste, rural and urban populations, and the potential for the use of greener technology for energy production. He identified the need to determine a time frame to move away completely from the conventional power technology; the need to allow both use of conventional and renewable energy in the interregnum; and complete replacement in the long term.

The correlation between energy consumption and human development index was mentioned in the discussion, and the fact that higher per capita energy consumption does not contribute significantly to the human development beyond certain level came out very loud and clear. Participants seem to concur to the suggestion that the energy demands must be determined in terms of needs, wants and luxury. The general belief that Hybrid car is energy efficient was strongly questioned and it was termed as an energy guzzler. There appeared to be a general consensus that decentralization of energy generation/ supply is good, and stressed upon the need to develop methods to limit the centralization of electricity generation.

Participants from Bolangir of Odisha utilized the opportunity under this session to raise the serious socio-environmental issues associated with the proposed coal power plant in Titlagarah by Sahara Company.

Session 5: 7:00- 8:30 pm
Specific 15-minute presentations to supplement the day’s discussions on issues and concerns
Facilitated by Preethi Herman
Day’s proceedings were summarized by Preethi Herman, and small presentations were made on renewable energy sources, and the practical issues on wind energy.


Day 2: Morning Session
Session 6: – 9:00 am- 10:00 am
Lobbying and campaigning at the centre and the states for sustainable energy options
Facilitated by Dr. Bharat Jhunjunwala

Bharat criticized the IEP in terms of its limitation to electricity supply alone, and absence of demand side management.

A strong suggestion was made to raise the public awareness on all the related issues, and to gather wide public opinion before approaching the government for necessary changes. The need for the preparation of comprehensive alternative energy models for each region and state to influence governments was stressed. There was a suggestion to resort to campaigning mode approach in various states and to effectively make use of these nerve centers. The importance of structured lobbying and campaigning, of articulation of major initiatives proposed were highlighted. There was a mention for the need to concentrate on organic synergies and linkages between various energy related movements in the country. The need to focus on the energy saving measures such as use of CFL bulbs and other energy efficient electronic equipments in public institutions, and strengthening people’s movement strategically by undertaking judicial activism and effective harnessing of media were also emphasised.

Session 7: 10 to 11 am
Regional Workshops - issues and responsibilities
Facilitated by Shankar Sharma

Shankar Sharma referred to the need for mobilizing people’s voice on the model for production and supply of electricity in the country and on all the associated issues. He invited the participants to share their views on how this can be achieved effectively and efficiently. The objective of such an exercise should be to develop a process for open learning and inclusiveness; for incorporating community science and peoples knowledge; for broad basing the groups at grass root levels; and developing comprehensive analysis through micro-macro linkages.

Many suggestions were made in this regard. Instead of planning workshops on the basis of geographic regions (such as North, South, East etc. ) the climatic regions such as Deccan plateau, Himalayas, coastal etc. should be considered. There was also a suggestion even to take these consultation processes to state levels. There was a suggestion to focus on the concept of energy Swaraj; to strengthen philosophical foundations through promoting a national vision out of regional experiences; moratorium on all proposed conventional power plants to enable effective debate and consultation.

The session was also used to finalise the draft press conference. The draft was adopted by the conclave after brief discussions and few changes (annexure 3).

Session 8 and 9: 11.30 am to 01.30 pm
a. Working Groups – Policy reviews and proposals, Advocacy action plans
b. Organizational setup, steering group and financing the alliance activities
Facilitated by Preethi Herman and Dr. Bharat Jhunjunwala

These two sessions were combined to optimize the time available.

During the session working groups were unanimously selected through nomination to take the issues forward. The working groups were divided into four thematic domains like Policies, Lobbying and Campaigning, Alternative energy sources, and documenting people’s voice on energy issues. Few members also took the initiative to organize regional conclaves. A co-ordination committee with 6 members was also chosen to co-ordinate the activities of various working groups till the next energy conclave. Details as in Annexure - 4.

The business part of the conclave ended with the vote of thanks by Dr. Bharat Jhunjhunwala, on behalf of the organising committee (of the Bhuvaneshwar meet) comprising of himself, Sudarshan, Preethi, Walter and Shankar. It was mentioned that this organizing committee gets automatically defunct with the conclusion of the conclave, and the new co-ordination committee, which has been chosen will take care of further actions. It was also stressed that the conclave was not meant as a one-off exercise, but is aimed at being a forum for continued activity in bringing about the required changes to the energy policy for the country.

Press Conference: 2 to 3 pm
Press meet was organized to share the outcomes of two days national conclave on energy and climate change. The conference was attended by leading national and local electronic and print media houses. Sudarshan Chottoray lead the interaction with the press. He made the opening remarks that recent nuclear emergency in Japan due to Tsunami has raised many doubts in the mind of common public, and that the nuclear establishments in a less developed nation like India may pose serious threat in future. He also referred to the rampant MoUs signed by Government of Odisha with many private players to establish power plants for generating 58,000 MW of power in future. Even if one third of this gets materialized, quarter of Odisha will be converted into ash dump. He also criticized the lack of coordination and sharp contrast between two Government energy policy documents like NAPCC and IEP.

Preethi Harman, Greenpeace India, said that establishment of the large number of conventional power plants will pose serious implications to natural resources, and impact will be huge logistically, socially and environmentally. She also pointed out that the power requirements are largely extrapolated and for avoiding climate change energy issues should be handled very cautiously.

Shankar Sharma, Power Policy Analyst, briefed the press about the conclave: the serious issues facing electricity sector; the dire need to take cost and benefit analysis into account on a societal basis; and essentiality of a paradigm shift and effective public consultation.

Members of Sahara Power Plant Birodhi Mancha said the proposed power plant at Titlagarah by Sahara will seriously affect the local environment and livelihood base of local denizens.

Odisha Session: 3 pm to 5.30 pm
Facilitated by convener Sudarshan Chottoray
Panelists: (i) Alikeswar Pattanaik, intellectual and leftist;
(ii) Suprano Satpathy, Chairman Smt. Nandini Satapathy Memorial Trust;
(iii) Pradeep Jena, Commissioner - cum –Secretary, Department of IT and Energy, Govt. of Odisha
(iv) Tapan Padhi noted social activist of Odisha.

The meeting started with the question from Balakrushna Sandha of SPBM regarding proposed power plant in Titlagarah of Bolangir district of Odisha. He pointed out that the plant will make the farmers land less and jobless, resulting in distress forced migration. He said the proposed plant will directly affect the livelihoods of people of six villages while causing land, water and air pollution in the locality. Bauribandhu Rout, convener of Odisha Jangal Mancha said that 500 hector of dense forest had been diverted for the purpose of setting Jagannath plant in Talcher which will seriously affect the state of environment in the locality.

Tapan Padhi pointed out the myths of power sector reforms in Odisha. He categorically pointed out that Government has seriously failed to address the energy requirements of people in the rural tracts of the state resulting in low voltage and 8 to 10 hours power cut in a day. He also expressed concerns over monopolistic regime of the state Government, which has invested Rs. 3,000 crores in private players which in turn are not discharging services efficiently. Many concerns were also raised by participants regarding disposal of fly ash, thermal radiation, riverine pollution and water crisis.
Suprano Satapathay opined that Government policies in the context of resettlement and rehabilitation need to be revisited and displacement and multiple displacements is the real problem. From his own experience, he said about the displacement issues in Talcher, how it has pushed the people to mental agony and how it has completely destroyed the social fabrics.

Alikeshwar Pattanaik referred to the model of development. He stressed need for the STATE to follow a different path, and specifically talked about lop- sided development and how benefits of science and development are going to the rich only. He also blamed the capitalistic regime operating in the international arena; especially how Government of Odisha succumbed to pressure in way back in 1993-94, easily considering the norms of World Bank and allowing corporatization in energy sector in the name of power sector reforms. He also pointed out the proposed nuclear plant in Sonapur of Ganjam district of Odisha and urged that Government should work as per the people’s interest, focusing on welfare approach not on trader approach.

Pradeep Jena opined that keeping in mind the growth rate, current state of power shortages and deficits, Odisha needs more energy production, but clearly suggested that the natural resources need to be strategically used. He gave importance to reducing huge transmission loss which is around 40% in Odisha and bringing more efficiency to the system. Regarding solar energy, he said that this may not a viable option as per unit production cost of solar energy is very high around 18 rupees per unit and affordability will be an issue. He talked about the solar PV panels, which in turn governed by amount of insolation; in case of Bolangir it is 18% plant load factor. Since the cost of generation is very high ( 16-18 crore needed for per MW of solar power (though better technology in future can reduce the cost), conventional technology is the only option. He also commented on limitations of small hydro (except the Himalayan region) owing to less channel gradient and rain fed nature of rivers in Orissa.

Regarding the MoUs, he opined that Government of Odisha has signed 29 MoUs with private and Government players. (37,000 MW will be generated by Private players and 21,000 MW by Government agencies like NTPC, OHPC, OPTCL: a total of 58,000 Mega Watts). He also expressed his concerns over disposal of fly ash and said if 50% of MoUs gets materialized about 60 Million tons of ash will be generated (2 million tons per 1,000 Mega watts). These will further exacerbate the ash disposal problems as mine back filling will not possible since the miners are using only upper seam in the coal belts.

Answering to the questions of Sahara Power plant Birodhi Manch, he said as there is no proper research data existing regarding increase of temperature due to thermal plant establishment. He also said that Titlagarah has very high temperature since last 200 years, may be due to locational aspects or geological settings of the locality and urged the scientific community to produce scientific evidence regarding increased temperature due to coal power plants. Simultaneously, he expresses his concerns over displacement issues and said peoples demands need to be answered by Government, specifically by developing sound method of compensation. There is a need to adopt attitudinal changes both for companies and Government.

He also mentioned about the Government policies regarding coal withdrawal. Since Odisha is having very low quality coal (ash content around 30%), it need to be washed before transportation, further worsening the state of environment at the source. Again when it is used in the local industry as raw material, it is accelerating the environmental degradation.

Answering to the issue raised by Tapan Padhi, he justified Government’s decision to spend 3,000 crore rupees to make improvements in energy efficiency through reduction in transmission losses in the form of improved maintenance practices. Further, he said it was required to strengthen the electricity infrastructure just after the super cyclone in 1999 and to overcome the operational issues in terms of cable snapping and high maintenance cost. Though he admitted the part failure of state in power sector reforms, Odisha being the first to embrace the reforms, said the conditions have improved significantly over the years.

He also pointed out Government need to be guided, a skilled set of Government employees need to be developed, internal governance mechanism need to be improved, and Government policies must be revisited and refined for a pro poor and pro people approach.



Working groups and Co-ordination Committee


Working Groups-
1. People's voices on energy - Sagar Dhara
2. Campaign and lobby strategy on energy – K. Chaitanya Kumar, Jai Krishna
3. Shadow IEP and Policies- Shankar Sharma, Shripad Dharmadhikari, Sagar Dhara, Chicu Liyanwa, Madhuresh Kumar, S.P Ravi
4. Solutions + Alternatives – Avinash Krishna Murthy, Vinay Jaju, Sudheer Kumar P V, Dr. Ashok Kundapur

Regional Workshops
1. South- Walter Mendonza
2. East + Central India- Sudarshan Chhotray
3. North- Chicu Liyanwa & Madhuresh Kumar
4. West- Walter Mendonza
5. Northeast- Madhuresh Kumar
6. Deccan – K Chaitanya Kumar

Co-ordination Committee
1. Shankar Sharma
2. K. Chaitanya Kumar
3. Madhuresh Kumar
4. Walter Mendonza
5. Preethi Herman
6. Sudarshan Chhotray

Annexure 1
National Conclave on Energy
(towards a People-centred Alliance in the context of Climate Change)
26 -27 March 2011, Bhuvaneshwar, Odisha
Agenda
26th March 2011
Morning session – 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Facilitated by Walter Mendoza
Welcome and logistics – 5 minutes
Inaugural session - 20 mins
Briefing – objectives and expected outcomes of the conclave – 30 minutes
Introductions of participants – 1 hour
Power scenario, identifying issues / major concerns in Energy Policy - 30 Minutes – Shankar Sharma
Comments and Discussion – 40 mins
Afternoon session – 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Open Discussions on issues that will drive the Programme of Action

Session 1 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Conventional Energy Options – Coal, Large Hydro, Nuclear, Gas etc
Facilitated by Bharat Jhunjunwala

Sessions 2 - 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Large Scale and Decentralised Renewable Energy Options – Wind, Solar, Biomass etc
Facilitated by Preethi Herman

Tea Break : 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Sessions 3 - 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Demand and Supply, Energy Access and Delivery Systems.
Facilitated by Walter Mendoza

Evening session – 7:00- 8:30 pm
Specific 15-minute presentations to supplement the day’s discussions on issues and concerns
Facilitated by Preethi Herman


27th March 2011
Morning session – 9.00 am to 11.30 pm
Programme of Action: The Way Forward
Session 1 – 9:00 am- 10:00 am
Lobbying and campaigning at the centre and the states for sustainable energy options
Facilitated by Dr. Bharat Jhunjunwala

Sessions 2 - 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Regional Workshops - issues and responsibilities
Facilitated by Shankar Sharma
Tea Break : 11:00 am - 11:30 am

Sessions 3 – 11:30 am- 12:30 pm
Working Groups – Policy reviews and proposals, Advocacy action plans
Facilitated by Preethi Herman

Session 4 - 12:30 pm- 01:20 pm
Organizational setup, steering group and financing the alliance activities
Facilitated by Bharat Jhunjunwala


Closing session - 1:20 - 1:30 Sudarshan

Lunch : 1:30 pm- 2:00 pm

Afternoon session – 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm
Press Conference – 2:00 – 3:00 pm

Public meeting : focus on Orissa- 3:00 - 5:30 pm
Facilitated by Sudarshan