ISUW 2024 Speaker

Mr. U N Behera had been Chairperson of Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission for five years from 2017 to 2022 and during his tenure OERC took a number of reform measures in the electricity sector. Odisha was the first state in the country to have gone for reforms with the legislation of Odisha Electricity Reforms Act, 1995 almost a decade before the Central legislation Electricity Act, 2003 came in. Odisha too took the bold step of bringing in private partners with 51 % equity in all the four discoms. Unfortunately, the arrangement ran into problems and as per the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 all the four discoms came under the management of the State Commission by 2015. The Commission under the leadership of Mr. Behera has been able to bring in private partner for the second time around by April, 2001. The lacunae in the first set of arrangements have been attempted to be addressed with clearer accountability and responsibility entrusted to different stakeholders. The arrangement is working quite well now and the AT&C losses have remarkably come down in the last three years. One among the many other accomplishments that goes to the credit of Mr Behera is that under his leadership as Principal Secretary of State Forest & Environment Department Odisha was the first state in the country to have prepared State Climate Change Action Plan in 2010. The effort was well acclaimed and Mr Behera was invited to address the World Environment Congress at Washington DC in 2010 to share his experience in preparation of a sub national climate change action plan. An Engineering Graduate from IIT, Kharagpur, Mr Behera is known for his innovative approach and doing something new always.