Government Proposes 50 GW Energy Parks To Boost Cleantech Ecosystem

The Indian government may soon set up ultramega renewable energy parks of a total of 50 gigawatts in Gujarat and Rajasthan to set up solar, wind and wind hybrid power plants.

The proposal, considered the world’s largest renewable energy investment programme, is being welcomed by industry majors. The energy parks reportedly have necessary clearances from state governments and the defence ministry.

“The new and renewable energy ministry has identified Khavada in Gujarat and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan for renewable energy parks of 25,000 megawatts each,” unidentified sources were quoted as saying by ET.

The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has told the solar and wind developers that it would strengthen transmission to these locations within 24 months for the evacuation of power.

Welcoming the move, Praveer Sinha, managing director, Tata Power told ET that it is a great opportunity to leapfrog India’s quest for clean energy. “Coal is a sunset industry which will last for about 25 years,” he said.

The renewable energy market in India is estimated to be at $17 Bn and is expected to continue growing at 15% annually. The share of renewable energy in India’s overall power capacity has increased to around 20% in 2018, from around 13% in 2015.

“We at Tata Power have decided not to set up any new coal-based plants as we expect post-2050 India will be free from coal-based power. With new solutions of solar, wind, hybrid, storage and demand response, we will be able to cater to electricity requirements with better load management,” Sinha was quoted as saying.

According to industry predictions, with more and more energy startups coming into play, India is expected to make a complete switch to clean energy in the next ten years. The Indian government has also been working on solutions for increasing pollution and exhausted non-renewable energy sources.

Last week, the MNRE launched the new “Industry and Investors’ Facilitation Centre” to resolve the issues of the investors have been facing. The ministry has assured that the Industry and Investors’ Facilitation Centre will work towards providing correct and timely information about the policies and programmes the government has launched in regards to clean and renewable energy. Besides this, the centre will also ensure that projects are completed timely.

The centre will be headed by MNRE’s joint secretary Amitesh Kumar Sinha, and the new body is expected to boost the confidence of the investors, who invest or are looking to invest in the sector. Moreover, it will ensure ease of doing business in the renewable energy sector.

Last year, the ministry of renewable energy set a target of achieving 175 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by the end of 2022 under its National Solar Mission of India. Out of this 175 GW, the ministry is planning to generate 40 GW from solar rooftops.