New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): The maiden edition of the Bharat Electricity Summit (BES) concluded successfully here today, bringing together policymakers, global experts, industry leaders, investors, and innovators to deliberate on the future of the power sector and accelerate the global clean energy transition.

A statement released by the Ministry of Power said, 'The Summit witnessed wide-ranging discussions, high-level bilateral engagements, and significant business interactions, reinforcing India's leadership in the global energy ecosystem.'

The Summit at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, witnessed an exceptional response, with over 35,000 exhibition attendees, 28 States / Union Territories, 200+ exhibiting companies, including 80+ Start-ups, 6,000+ delegates, 300+ speakers, and 100+ conference sessions, reflecting its scale and global significance, the statement said.

Drawing inspiration from the Prime Minister's vision, India continues to advance rapidly towards achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, having already crossed the milestone of over 50% non-fossil capacity. Initiatives such as One Sun, One World, One Grid further underscore India's commitment to global energy cooperation, the statement added.

While giving his valedictory address, Manohar Lal, Union Power Minister, noted that the Summit was extremely successful and saw impressive participation from different stakeholders of the power sector. Despite being the first Electricity Summit, it saw unprecedented participation and meaningful discussions. In particular, he said that he was particularly delighted with the participation of the Startups at the Summit and the great innovation in the sector they would bring

He said that India has a vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, and for achieving this vision, electricity is a common resource that is needed by all economic stakeholders and citizens. 'Under Saubhagya Yojna we succeeded in ensuring that electricity has reached all nooks and corners of the country.'

Speaking on the importance of solar energy and cooperation across countries, Manohar Lal noted the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi - One Sun, One World, One Grid. 'These words he said point to the need for working together as one global family. Our focus has to be on sustainability and thus expansion of renewable energy, including solar energy, is critical.'

He said that during the Summit there were fruitful discussions with many countries and especially African nations. It emerged clearly that India and the African nations have a win-win possibility of cooperating in the power sector and beyond.

Manohar Lal further noted that there is a need to strengthen DISCOMs through different actions and reforms. He noted that during the Summit, the DISCOMs expressed a strong willingness to take necessary actions to improve their operations and financial situation. He said that the intended reforms in the sector includes adoption of smart meters cost reflective tariffs.

The Minister also announced that the next edition of BES will be held in 2028 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Three reports were also released on the occasion. These are: Rating Regulatory Performance of States and Union Territories 2025 by Power Foundation of India; Ash Generation and Utilisation at coal/lignite-based Grid Connected thermal power stations for 2024-25 by Central Electricity Authority; and Establishing a Sodium-ion Battery Ecosystem in India - Leveraging New Technologies to Strengthen Component Manufacturing by Council on Energy, Environment and Water. (ANI)