Held through a virtual platform, the WePOWER India Partnership Forum, launched the efforts to scale up the South Asia Women in Power Sector Professional Network (WePOWER) in India.
In association with the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), the event was organized by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. 168 key energy sector stakeholders attended the important initiative.
India is significantly investing in grid modernization, clean energy and digitalization of its utilities. To fill these new green jobs, there is a growing need for skilled human resources. For energy transition, women can help to fill this skills gap. However, there is very low participation of women in the energy sector. The energy sector must develop, attract and retain talented women professionals.
In the Indian electricity sector, the World Bank is committed to promoting gender equality. The WePOWER was launched in February 2019 by the World Bank in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank. Committed to implementing systematic and incremental gender activities to support workforce participation of women in energy projects and utilities, and promote normative change for women and girls in STEM education, the WePOWER is a network of 28 energy sector utilities.
Vishal Kapoor, Joint Secretary-Distribution, Ministry of Power, Govt of India mentioned that the Ministry of Power recognises that “Women will be needed to fill the increasing talent demand in the power sector, and their participation in technical and professional roles can contribute greatly to the sector’s effectiveness” and “Indian power sector has made progress in terms of diversifying the workplace and increasing women’s participation, including in leadership positions.”
