Spotlight

New Delhi, 29 May 2007                

HARYANA TO GENERATE POWER FROM BIOMASS AND WIND

NEW DELHI, May 30 (INFA): The Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with seven Independent Power Producers (IPPS) to generate 686 MW of power form biomass and wind power.

As per the MoUs, 21 biomass power projects generating a total of 246 MW and four wind power projects producing 440 MW at a total cost of Rs.3300 crore would be set up.

The power generated by these projects would be purchased by the power utilities on the tariff decided by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission as per provisions in the Electricity Act, 2003. The projects are expected to start generation in 20-26 months.

Renewable energy couple with efficient energy use can deliver half of India’s primary energy needs by 2050, according to a report jointly produced by the European Energy Council: “A Sustainable Energy Out for India”.

The report provides a blueprint for reducing India’s carbon dioxide emissions by four per cent by 2050. It says that the targets can be reached without relying on hazardous nuclear technologies and, at the same time, maintaining study economic development.

The report has already been presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.  The Government has been advised to enact a Renewable Energy law by 2010. Pertinently, a model law has already been drafted by the World Council.

India with its multitude of villages still lags behind in rural electrification. Lately, many initiatives like the Remote Village Electrification Programme have been launched to accelerate the process of electrification.

Another noteworthy feature is the contribution of many non-governmental tribal villages, Bairakh in Chhattisgarh became the world’s first village to get power supply through biofuels. The ambitious Rs.40 lakh project was sprearheaded by Winrock International India, a non-governmental organization which successfully completed the project within two years.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had sanctioned Rs.22 lakh for the project and the rest of the funds were borne by Winrock.

After surveying and drawing out a detailed plan, Winrock supplied about 60,000 saplings of Jatropha to the villagers in 2004. These saplings which have now started yielding oil-bearing seeds are processed in the biofuel plant in the village.----INFA