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Industry and Government Leaders Call for Technology, Energy Efficiency and Innovation to Accelerate India’s Green Steel Transition

The 5th edition of the Green Steel & Mining Summit 2026, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was inaugurated today at Hotel Mayfair Lake Resort, Naya Raipur. The summit brought together government leaders, steel and mining companies, technology providers, sustainability experts and industry stakeholders to deliberate on the transition towards a competitive, energy-efficient and low-carbon steel sector.     

The two-day summit is focused on accelerating the adoption of clean technologies, energy efficiency, digitalization, carbon management and sustainable mining practices, while aligning the sector with India’s long-term development ambitions.

The inaugural session featured Shri Arun Sao, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, as keynote speaker and Shri Lakhan Lal Dewangan, hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industries, Government of Chhattisgarh as Special Address and industry perspectives from Mr. Siddharth Agrawal, Chairman, Steel Subcommittee, CII Eastern Region & Managing Director, Godawari Power & Ispat Ltd; Mr. Narendra Goel, Past Chairman, CII Chhattisgarh State Council & Managing Director, Shri Bajrang Power & Ispat Ltd; Mr. Bajrang Goel, Chairman, CII Chhattisgarh State Council & Director, Shri Bajrang Power & Ispat Ltd; Mr Dev Jyoti, Regional Director, CII Eastern Region and Mr. P V Kiran Ananth, Executive Director - Energy Efficiency, Renewables, and Green Entrepreneurship, CII-Green Business Centre.

The Summit also witnessed two significant launches, bringing sharper focus to the business and financing dimensions of India’s green steel transition. The first one, “Powering India’s Secondary Steel Transition: The Business Case for Cluster-Based Renewable Electricity Procurement,” with the support of Climate Catalyst, and the second one “Forging the Transition: Financing India’s Green Steel Future,” with EY-Parthenon as the Knowledge Partner reflecting the importance of combining innovative renewable energy procurement models with appropriate financing solutions to enable the sector to decarbonize at scale while maintaining competitiveness.

Speaking at the summit, Shri Arun Sao, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, said, “Chhattisgarh is a state blessed with abundant natural resources, including coal and minerals, and has emerged as one of India’s important steel-producing centres. The time has now come for us to move from being a mineral-rich state to becoming a global hub for green and value-added steel. The next phase of Chhattisgarh’s industrial growth will be defined not only by how much steel we produce, but by how sustainably we produce it. This platform by CII is therefore both timely and important, as it brings together industry and stakeholders to shape a more sustainable future for one of India’s fastest-growing industrial states. Chhattisgarh’s strong natural resource base, hardworking people and conducive environment for industry position it well to lead India’s transition towards greener steel and sustainable industrial growth.”

Shri Lakhan Lal Dewangan, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industries, Government of Chhattisgarh, said, “Chhattisgarh is emerging as one of India’s leading steel and industrial hubs, powered by its rich mineral resources, strong industrial base and growing investment ecosystem. Our focus is now on ensuring that this growth is sustainable, technology-driven and creates greater opportunities for employment and value creation. Through the New Industrial Policy 2024, we are simplifying processes, strengthening ease of doing business and creating a more investor-friendly environment. CII’s Green Steel and Mining Summit is an important platform to bring together industry, investors and experts to accelerate the transition towards green steel, responsible mining and sustainable industrial development in Chhattisgarh.”

Mr. Siddharth Agrawal, Chairman, Steel Subcommittee, CII Eastern Region & Managing Director, Godawari Power & Ispat Ltd, said, “India’s growth story will necessarily require more steel, but this growth must go hand in hand with our environmental responsibilities. The challenge before the steel and mining industry is not merely to produce green steel, but to produce it at scale, at the right cost and with the right technologies, while remaining globally competitive. This transition will require greater collaboration across industry, government, technology providers, financiers and other stakeholders, along with accelerated adoption of renewable energy, green hydrogen, resource efficiency and innovative decarbonization solutions. The summit provides an important platform to identify practical pathways that can translate these ambitions into action across our plants and mining sites.”  

Shri O.P. Choudhary, Hon’ble Minister of Finance, Government of Chhattisgarh, during his breakout session said, “Chhattisgarh has a vital role to play in India’s journey towards a greener, more sustainable and globally competitive industrial economy. As a leading hub for steel, mining and manufacturing, the State recognises that economic growth and environmental responsibility must move forward together. There is a strong consensus among industry stakeholders and government representatives that green technology represents a significant commercial opportunity rather than a regulatory burden. The state has committed to supporting research and development in green steel and is exploring policy frameworks to prioritize green-certified products within government procurement processes. We are committed to creating an enabling environment that supports responsible industrial growth, encourages innovation and investment, and strengthens Chhattisgarh’s contribution to India’s vision of a low-carbon and sustainable future.”

GreenPro, India’s internationally recognised Type-I Ecolabel developed by CII, enables industries to measure and communicate the sustainability performance of their products through a life-cycle approach while helping customers make informed purchasing decisions. With 15,000+ products from 750 leading manufacturers ecolabelled to date, and recognition by several State PWDs and PSUs in procurement tenders, GreenPro is advancing sustainable manufacturing and responsible value chains. At the Summit, steel manufacturers from the Chhattisgarh region, namely MSP Steel & Power Ltd, Rama Power & Steel Ltd, Real Ispat and Power Pvt. Ltd., API Ispat, and Shri Bajrang Power & Steel Ltd., were recognised for their leadership in product sustainability, decarbonization and achieving the GreenPro Ecolabel. The GreenPro Awards were presented by Shri O.P. Choudhary, Hon’ble Minister of Finance, Government of Chhattisgarh, recognizing organizations and industry stakeholders demonstrating leadership and commitment to sustainable products, processes and practices, and reinforcing the Summit’s focus on translating decarbonization ambitions into actionable solutions, investments and measurable sustainability outcomes for the steel and mining sector.

The summit’s first major panel discussion, “Future-Ready – India’s Steel Sector in the 2047”, examined how the Indian steel industry can prepare for the next phase of growth while responding to increasing expectations around decarbonization and sustainability. Moderated by Mr. Rajiv Mangal, Chairman, India Green Steel Coalition & Vice President – Safety, Health & Sustainability, Tata Steel Ltd, the discussion brought together senior representatives from Avinash Group, Blue Star, Jindal Steel, JSW Steel, Suzlon Group and Tenova Technologies. The discussion explored the future trajectory of the steel sector, with emphasis on sustainability, green steel, procurement and supply chains, renewable energy, Power-to-X solutions, recycling and technology-led decarbonization.

The Technical Session on “Technology Intervention for Optimizing Energy Consumption in Steel Industry” focused on practical interventions to improve energy performance across steel manufacturing and associated industrial operations. Experts discussed green manufacturing in heavy equipment, energy efficiency interventions in steel operations, high-efficiency bearings and motors, and energy-saving opportunities across steel manufacturing processes. The discussions highlighted the importance of moving beyond incremental efficiency improvements towards integrated approaches that combine advanced equipment, process optimization, digital monitoring and smarter energy management.

The second technical session, “Leveraging AI & Digital Tracking for Carbon Capture and Management,” examined the growing role of digital technologies in enabling the steel sector to measure, manage and reduce its carbon footprint. The session covered software integration in steel supply chains, the application of AI in steel plants, AI/ML-based carbon emission tracking, smart sensing technologies and the integration of carbon capture into the green steel transition. With carbon accounting and emissions tracking becoming increasingly important to industrial competitiveness, speakers emphasized the potential of digital tools to provide greater visibility into energy and emissions performance and enable data-driven decision-making.

The day concluded with a CEO Round Table on “Navigating the Economics of Low-Carbon Steel”, bringing together senior leaders from Real Ispat & Power, Sarda Energy & Minerals, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone, Shri Bajrang Power & Ispat, Jindal Steel, Bhilai Steel Plant (SAIL) and Amalgam Steel. The discussion focused on the economic dimensions of the transition to low-carbon steel, including technology investments, competitiveness, operational efficiencies and the need to balance decarbonization with business viability.