The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State to add 950 MW through renewable energy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 15, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

State to add 950 MW through renewable energy

Staff Reporter

Amendment to Land Reforms Act to apply to RE projects

Government plans to generate 4,000 MW through renewable energy by 2013-14
In the first quarter of this fiscal, 80 MW has been added through wind energy projects

clean energy:Renewable energy industries can buy land from the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board like any other industry.

Bangalore: The State Government has proposed to bring in an amendment to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act 1961, to enable industries to buy land directly from the sellers, said K. Jairaj, Additional Chief Secretary.

Speaking at the 14 {+t} {+h} Annual General Meeting of the Indian Wind Power Association here on Wednesday, he said that the proposed amendment would apply to the renewable energy projects as well. As per the State's Renewable Energy Policy, the sector is considered as an industry.

“The State Government has a single window for the renewable energy sector. Renewable energy industries can buy land from the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board like any other industry. If the projects are in forest areas, they have to get clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests,” he said.

Mr. Jairaj said there was a need to speed up the process, especially in the State. “The problem is that it takes over a year to get all the clearances and to commissioning the project. That said, there are not many pending proposals awaiting approval with the Government,” he said.

He added that the State had set a target of adding 950 MW through renewable sources to the grid this year. “Through 22 wind energy projects, we hope to add 715 MW to the grid. In the first quarter of this year, we were able to add 80 MW. We have set a target of achieving 60 MW through solar and 130 MW through mini-hydro projects. By 2013-14, we hope to generate 4,000 MW through renewable energy sources,” he added.

Debashish Majumdar, chairman and managing director of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency, said that it was a matter of shame that over the past 15 years, India had only 11,800 MW of wind installations. “China started investing in the wind energy sector around four years ago. In just one year, China achieved 12,000 MW of installations.”

He said that policy and regulatory framework was important to provide impetus to the renewable energy sector. He said that the industry must tell the Government what is missing from its Generation Based Investment scheme.

K. Kasthoorirangaian, association chairman, and S.V. Armugam, vice chairman, spoke.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka