If the energy department is to be believed, we can expect this year’s summer to be relatively free from power cuts.
If the energy department is to be believed, we can expect this year’s summer to be relatively free from power cuts. The state is planning to add 550MW of power this year through renewable energy sources such as wind, bio-mass and co-generation to mitigate power shortage in the coming months.
Speaking at the one-day national conference on ‘Renewable Energy for Karnataka’s Development and Energy Security’, organised by World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE) and supported by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd, department of energy additional principal secretary Shamim Banu said, “We have already added 450MW of renewable energy to the state. By February we plan to add another 100MW to this.”
Regarding the prevailing power situation, Banu said that it is not a matter of concern as of now as the state is doing well for the time being. “Out of the total installed capacity of around 11,000MW, 3,000MW comes from renewable sources. Of this, wind is a major source and we have to capitalise on this,” she said.
The state will also be getting another 500MW with the Bellary Thermal Power Station’s (BTPS) second unit expected to start operations by next month.
“This is expected to start functioning by the next month. Though we will not have much wind, the BTPS will have to help mitigate power problems,” she said.
WISE has also come up with Master Plan for Renewable Energy (RE) for the state. Commending WISE for the plan Banu said, “This is envisaged as part of the renewable energy policy when it was initiated in 2009, but nothing concrete had happened then. But thanks to WISE, the action plan has been developed.”
She hoped the plan would go beyond the proposed five-year time period of the policy and steer a plan of action to achieve what the policy sought out for the development of renewable energy in the state and achieve the target of achieving 15% renewable energy by 2020 as envisaged by the central government’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
She urged the government, developers, private and public players to come together and form a partnership to increase the growth of renewables in the state. Besides, the state has sanctioned 250Pico hydel power projects, which are less than 5 kilowatt.
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