Guwahati : The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST) organised the Northeast India Clean Energy Conclave 2026 at NEDFi House in Guwahati. The event brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, regulators, financial institutions, and technology providers to discuss ways to expand renewable energy in the Northeastern states.
The Conclave focused on unlocking the region’s large renewable energy potential of around 130 GW. However, only about 2.3 GW is currently planned for development, showing a major investment opportunity. The Northeast has strong hydro and solar resources and nearly 9% of India’s waterbodies, making it important for India’s clean energy growth.
Electricity demand in the region is expected to increase by more than 40% by 2031–32. Peak demand may rise from 4,996 MW to 7,192 MW. Experts said meeting this demand will require a diversified and reliable power system with proper storage and transmission planning.
Mandvi Singh, Programme Director at iFOREST, said the Northeast is at an important stage in India’s clean energy transition. She stressed the need to convert identified opportunities into bankable projects through clear policies, assured offtake, and integrated storage and transmission planning.
Arup Misra, Chairman of the Assam Pollution Control Board, said renewable energy is not about removing fossil fuels completely but about building a more flexible, reliable and efficient energy system.
The Conclave was inaugurated by Jadav Saikia, IAS, Secretary (Power), Government of Assam. He highlighted that Assam notified its solar, pumped storage, and thermal power generation policies in 2025 to ensure a smooth clean energy transition. Three pumped storage projects with a combined capacity of more than 3000 MW are currently under progress. Assam has implemented the PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana with more than 91,000 rooftop installations targeted, making the state first in the Northeast and tenth in India. Over 200 MW of new solar projects are also in the pipeline. He added that transmission and commercial losses have reduced to 14% in 2023–24.
Kumar Sanjay Krishna, IAS (Retd), said that global climate funding is unlikely to increase significantly due to international challenges such as wars, inflation and debt. He emphasised the need to generate strong domestic investment interest in renewable energy.
The Conclave discussed rooftop and distributed solar, floating solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), pumped storage projects (PSP), biomass, modern small hydro projects, and improvements in grid infrastructure. Policy alignment, financing models, storage integration, transmission planning, and payment security were key discussion points.
The event aimed to create better coordination between policy, finance, and infrastructure to accelerate renewable energy projects in the region. With strong natural resources, rising demand, and supportive policies, the Northeast is emerging as a key clean energy growth corridor for India’s future.
