13th national electricity plan draft to be made public in Sept

Central Electricity Authority Chairman S D Dubey on Monday said the draft of the 13th National Electricity Plan will be put in public domain next month for feedback from all stakeholders.

The 13th National Electricity Plan, which is the roadmap for the next five years (2017-22) details many issues including policy initiatives for hydro storage, power tariffs, grid management and reducing distribution losses. The NEA has been prepared by a high-level committee after conducting a detailed electric power survey, he said.

Dubey was speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural of the two-day conference and exposition on “Smart-Reliable-Sustainable Power” organised by Confederation of Indian Industry in the city. He said the Centre was focusing on hydro power and, reducing fossil fuel capacity by 40% by 2035.

There should be sufficient water storage to generate 450 GW power. The Central government has identified Karnataka and Kerala for setting up pump storage plants and the details are being finalised.

The Centre’s target is to generate 175 GW power by 2022. It also aims to generate 140 GW renewable energy by 2020, 60% of which will be from the southern states that have the largest potential for wind and solar energy.

G V Balaram, Managing Director, Karnataka Renewable Energy Department Limited (KREDL) said tenders have been called for creating the first of its kind renewable energy management centre in Bengaluru. The centre will manage generation and distribution of solar and wind energy. Details of the land for the project are still being finalised.

Balaram said that land acquisition by industries for non-agricultural purposes was still a challenge, despite amendments to the Land Acquisition Act. Since investors are skeptical, KREDL is exploring the possibilities of leasing land from farmers and sub-lease it to investors.

P Ravi Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department said that by the end of the year, all land-related problems pertaining to setting up of power projects will be resolved. Single window clearance mechanism was being introduced and plans were on to make electrical inspectorate mechanism online, he added.

Electric buses a possibility
Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director, ABB India Ltd said that if the state and Central governments show interest, electric buses that can be recharged in 15 seconds at every bus stop can soon become a reality in India, as in Geneva.
“Meetings have been held with Kamal Bali, Managing Director, Volvo India Private Ltd and Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping. They have evinced interest. But, nothing can be said as of now. There is a need to identify corridors and change the existing bus stop designs. Bengaluru has a good bus connectivity and potential,” he said.