With the government of India targeting to reach net zero by 2070 it is imperative that country focuses on advancing sustainability and climate action by promoting clean energy, carbon neutrality, and eco-friendly practices.
Having said that it is also pertinent that with the changing dynamics in the energy world HR/manpower skills too need to undergo a massive transition from the current. This is where institutes like IIPE are playing a paramount role.
Established by the Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) in the year 2016, the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy has been declared as an ‘Institution of National Importance’.
IIPE is research focussed Institute with an emphasis on the emerging areas in the energy sectors, namely Shale Gas, Coal Bed Methane, Gas Hydrates, Conventional Energy Sources, Renewable Energy Sources, Storage, and downstream activities of oil & gas.
“We at IIPE have been staunchly working towards the mission of net zero by 2070” said Prof. Paritosh Kansa Banik, President, Board of governors, IIPE speaking exclusively to Vizag Industrial Scan on the sidelines of the IIPE HR conclave 2025.
Elaborating further Prof Banik said that the institute also has the mandate to skill and make the manpower of today employable for the energy needs of tomorrow.
The institute has thus broadened its course offerings from chemical and petroleum engineering to mechanical engineering and now mathematics and computing.
All in all IIPE today offers 4 BTech courses, 1 MTech and I Msc in Geology. “Our curriculum has to be ready for the needs of tomorrow. We have thus expanded our subject offerings. The next generation engineers will have to adopt to new technologies and be in tune with AI, ML, IOT etc” said the President, BoG, IIPE.
Concurred Prof. Shalivahan, Director of IIPE and said that the institute is shaping the future of the country’s energy sector through advanced research, skilled graduates, and strategic collaborations.
The institute indeed has come a long way from having 85 students in its first year to 600 students now. In addition, IIPE boasts of 120 PhD scholars who only focus on research work. What is encouraging is that industry has been appreciative of their work and this shows in the institute’s placements.
“I am happy to inform you that on an average IIPE has had close to 100% placements every year,” said Prof Banik.
At the Conclave
Addressing IIPE’s HR 2025 conclave Mr. K.S. Shetty, Director HR at HPCL, highlighted the rapid transformations underway in the energy sector, driven by AI, automation, and digital systems.
He urged students to prepare to lead this change, not follow it, and emphasized that resilience—the ability to adapt, recover, and thrive in uncertainty—is a vital trait for success across all sectors.
Similarly, Dr Natwar Kadel, Head People strategy HR, Hyundai Motor emphasized that the future belongs to those who can learn, relearn and unlearn faster than others.
