Building a skills base for India’s clean energy transition

Ayana Renewable Power is an India-based renewable energy developer, majority-owned by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL). Ayana was founded in 2017 by British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution. The company has developed an ambitious skills development and training programme to spread the benefits of the clean energy transition and ensure it has the skills base needed to support its growth. Ayana published its Community Development Framework, which sets out how it plans to address various groups of stakeholders through a just energy transition where it is operating. The framework has five pillars: - Energy access – providing clean, decentralised energy to poorer communities around its utility-scale projects that rely on kerosene or firewood for lighting and cooking - Skills training – providing employment to local people, while simultaneously plugging skills gaps - Location – taking a place-based approach to its just transition work, focusing on where it is operating or plans to develop projects - Collaboration – with government organisations, NGOs and private sector partners on its skills and training work - Implementation – beginning with a community needs assessment as part of each project’s planning and regulatory clearance phase, followed by selection of partners, planning, implementation, monitoring and, finally, transfer to the community. Ayana has worked with its investors to develop a just transition programme that focuses on community engagement and skills development. Initially, these efforts were grant-assisted, but they have become mainstreamed and are supported by Ayana’s core resources.