New Renewable Energy Policy in Maharashtra: Recently, the state government of Maharashtra has come up with a new Renewable Energy Policy, which aims at implementing 17,360 MW of transmission system connected power projects by the year 2025. On Thursday, Dinesh Waghmare, Principal Secretary (Energy) at the Fourth Edition of ‘CII Renew India 2021’ organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Maharashtra said these projects include 12,930 MW of solar power projects, 1,350 MW of co-generation projects, 2,500 MW of wind energy projects, 380 MW of small hydro projects as well as 200 MW of urban solid waste based projects.
In March 2021, minister R.K. Singh had informed the Parliament that the Modi government has set a target for installing 175 GW of Renewable Energy capacity (excluding large hydro) by 2021-22 end, which includes 60 GW from wind, 100 GW from solar, 10 GW from Biomass as well as 5 GW from Small Hydro. In a bid to become self-reliant in power generation as well as achieving energy transition towards clean energy, the Central government has inter-alia taken following measures:
- The capacity of renewable energy to go up to 450 GW
- Old polluting coal based power plants’ phase wise retirement
- Establishing Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks in order to provide land as well as transmission to Renewable Energy developers on a plug and play basis
- Schemes like PM-KUSUM, Solar Rooftop Phase-2, 12000 MW CPSU Scheme Phase-2, etc.
- Laying of new transmission lines as well as creating new sub-station capacity under the Green Energy Corridor Scheme for renewable power’s evacuation
- Declaring Large Hydro Power as Renewable Energy source
- Hydro Purchase Obligation as a separate entity within Non-solar RPO
- Tariff rationalization measures for reducing hydro power tariff
- Budgetary Support for Flood Moderation/Storage HEPs
- Budgetary Support to Cost of Enabling Infrastructure for hydro projects