The government of Maharashtra entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with one of the most well-known Universities in the world, in the form of the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States, to help it in areas of energy research and energy policy formulation. The MoU was inked in the Maharashtra legislature in south Mumbai, at the Cabinet Hall of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) Abha Shukla and Mohit Bhargava, senior advisor to the University of California, signed the agreement in the affirmative, as an official release indicated.
The release also indicated that the deal would help hasten innovation, research and strategic partnership within the energy market in the state of Maharashtra. Among the areas of focus are clean, dependable, low-cost electricity; storage of energy; electricity markets; transmission grid enhancements; climate-resilient policies; and collective training programs.
“With support from an institution like the University of California, Maharashtra will be able to foster world-class innovation and research in the energy sector,” the release said, quoting Chief Minister Fadnavis, who holds the energy portfolio.
The CM noted that this MoU marks a new era of collaboration in relations to clean, reliable, and sustainable power solutions, such as storage facilities, power markets, grid reform and climate adaptation.
The partnership is based on mutual care, equality and common interests and will come up with the local solutions relatable to the changing energy demands within the Kingdom of Maharashtra, the release said. The MoU is a flexible document observed by the officials, who expressed that future cooperation will be possible between the two sides in regard to new projects.
Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy), added that the MoU would have a positive impact on the regional academic institutions, research centres and government organizations by promoting innovation, capacity building and technical training and subsequently speed up the pace at which the state transforms towards environmentally friendly energy sources.
Some priority areas of cooperation under the MoU will include — Achieving clean, reliable, and affordable electricity systems; development and research on energy storage technologies; design and policy-setting in power markets; transmission grid innovative systems; climate resilience interventions; and skill development and training plans.
There was the presence of the representatives of the University of California and other dignitaries, including the Minister of State for Energy Meghana Bordikar, MSEDCL MD Lokesh Chandra, Mahagenco MD Radhakrishna B, and MSETCL (Maharashtra State Electricity transmission Company Ltd) MD Sanjeev Kumar.
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