Prasanna Kumar Motupalli, Chairman and Managing Director of NLC India Limited (NLCIL), has been conferred with the prestigious ‘CMD of the Year’ award at the Utkarsh Odisha Business Leadership Awards 2025, hosted by The Interview Times in Bhubaneswar.
Recognizing Excellence in Leadership
The award ceremony was a key highlight of Utkarsh Divas, an event commemorating Odisha’s foundation day. Shri Prasanna Kumar Motupalli received the honor from Dr. Ravi Narayan Behera, Member of Parliament, Jajpur, in the esteemed presence of Padma Vibhushan awardee Shri Sudarshan Sahoo, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das, and other distinguished dignitaries.
Championing Odisha’s Growth and Sustainability
During the event, Dr. Ravi Narayan Behera lauded his exceptional contributions to Odisha’s industrial and energy sectors, particularly his leadership in enhancing power generation capacity and steering sustainable development initiatives at NLCIL.
At the CMD Roundtable 2025 on Energy & Sustainability, he highlighted Odisha’s rich natural resources as a vital driver for India’s economic development. He showcased NLCIL’s transformative projects in the state, including:
- Talabira II & III coal mines in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda.
- NLC India Talabira Thermal Power Plant (NTTPP) – Phase I (3×800 MW, 2400 MW), whose foundation was laid by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024.
- A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for NTTPP signed with the Government of Odisha.
Expansion and Sustainable Energy Initiatives in Odisha
Shri Motupalli also revealed NLCIL’s strategic expansion in Odisha, emphasizing:
- Acquisition of two new coal mines—Machchakata and New Patrapara South—in Angul district.
- Active collaboration with the Odisha government to repurpose mined-out lands for Solar and Pumped Storage projects, promoting sustainable energy solutions.
- Commitment to responsible mineral resource management to achieve long-term environmental sustainability.
Odisha’s Role in India’s Energy Future
He emphasized that Odisha will play a crucial role in enhancing India’s per capita energy consumption, advancing the nation’s Viksit Bharat vision, and helping achieve net-zero targets.
Social Responsibility and Community Development
Beyond industrial growth, Shri Motupalli reiterated NLCIL’s commitment to social responsibility, supporting various socio-economic upliftment initiatives to benefit Odisha’s communities.
A Tribute to Visionary Leadership
Expressing his gratitude, Shri Prasanna Kumar Motupalli thanked ‘The Interview Times’ for recognizing his efforts and applauded their decade-long contribution to impactful journalism.
This esteemed recognition underscores his visionary leadership and relentless dedication to fostering industrial growth, sustainability, and energy transformation in Odisha.
