Reliance plans solar power project in WB

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Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd is set to enter the renewable energy business even as Anil Ambani's Reliance Energy Ltd (REL) has announced its intention of generating power from renewables.

To start with, Reliance Industries has decided to set up a 10- mw solar plant in West Bengal and sought the help of the West Bengal renewable energy development agency (WBREDA).

WBREDA director SP Gon Chaudhuri said that Reliance Industries had approached him in July and after a series of discussions decided to start by setting up a 10-mw solar unit in West Bengal.

Although the company did not commit any investment, it has started scouting for land in the state. "Purulia is likely to be the place where it would set up its solar plant," Gon Chaudhuri said.

Moser Baer Photo Voltaic, a 100% subsidiary of Moser Baer India, has also submitted a demonstration project to WBREDA to make solar power from concentrated solar cells. The company has submitted the demonstration project in Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir as well.

He said the Reliance plant in West Bengal is like an experimental project but their plan is to make big investments in Rajasthan and Maharastra for making solar power there. "West Bengal has a well set regulatory frame work for renewable energy and by the time the project comes up, there will be preferential tariff in place too for solar power," Gon Chaudhuri said.

The West Bengal state electricity regulatory commission has recently announced preferential tariff for power from biomass, hydro and wind, which are Rs 3.35, Rs 3.60 and Rs 4.00 respectively. The regulatory commission is likely to announce the tariffs for solar, bio-gas and municipal solid waste power next month. Gon Chaudhuri said the tariff for biomass and hydro power are at par with other states but the tariff for wind power in West Bengal is higher than other states.