Kerala Government to announce solar energy policy soon

The Kerala Government will soon unveil a new solar energy policy as part of its initiatives to ramp up the state’s energy security, Power and Transport Minister Aryadan Mohammed announced today.
“We have finalised the Solar Power Policy and it will be announced after getting approval from the cabinet,” Shri. Mohammed told a sectoral session on “Energy, including Green Energy & Environmental Technologies” as part of the Emerging Kerala Global Connect here.
The Minister also announced that the Government will launch a “10,000 solar home programme” in the state as a pilot project under the National Solar Mission.
In his inaugural address, Shri. K C Venugopal, Union Minister of State for Power, said there was enormous potential for solar power in Kerala. “The Centre has drawn up a plan for radiation mapping in the country, and Kerala’s Palakkad and Kannur are proposed to be included in this scheme.”
He said the power requirement of the state would be to the tune of 6,500 MW by 2022. “We need to think about meeting this requirement,” he said adding that the Centre is considering setting up an R&D centre in the state for research in energy and related sectors. The Minister also informed that NTPC was planning to expand its power plant in Kerala.
Panelists at the discussion emphasised the need for Kerala to look beyond hydro power, the mainstay of its energy requirements, to hammer out a judicious energy mix, keeping in view its burgeoning economy and an impressive array of mega industrial and infrastructure projects.
Shri. Mohammed responded by saying that while thrust would be on hydro power, other renewable sources like wind and solar power offered tremendous opportunities for prospective investors.
“There are 44 rivers in the state which have a potential to produce 800 MW of energy through small hydro power projects. At the same time, Kerala has the highest wind speed in the country, which could be harnessed to produce 720 MW,” he said, adding that the state government was keen to generate energy from various sources, including hydro, thermal, wind and solar.
Asserting that the state is keen to welcome foreign investments in power generation and management, he said it was the right time to consider opportunities for cleaner and green energies. Some other areas for investments could be smart metering and energy efficiency technologies, he added.
Shri. Elias George, principal Secretary, (Power), Govt. of Kerala, said the state was looking for an additional 3,000 MW in the next ten years to meet its power requirements and bolster energy security.
“We will be signing an agreement with Petronet very shortly. There is also the PETCO project…There are exciting projects in the offing and we are open to interesting options,” Shri. George said.
In his special address, Shri. K M Chandrasekhar, Vice-Chairman, Planning Board, emphasized the need for expanding power generating capacity and doubling it in the next five years by using all sources, including coal-based and gas-based power stations, in the right mix. “The central and state governments will have to work in close coordination to attain this objective,” he stated.
He said the possibility of coal being made available in a dedicated fashion should be tried with the help from Independent Power producers (IPPs). “We can work with NTPC and are planning to hold discussions with the Central government in this regard in the coming days,” he pointed out.
Shri. A K Balyan, MD and CEO, PLL, said an integrated LNG power plant will be ready in Kochi by January next year. He also said that his company is keen to work with Kerala in a mega joint venture power project.
Ms Angela Spizig, Vice mayor of Cologne, Germany, said Kerala and her country shared a lot of similarities, especially their concern for ecology and environmental safeguards.
“We have developed expertise in IT, transport infrastructure and green energy technologies. There could be a bridge between my own city and God’s Own Country…While Indian companies are welcome in Cologne, we are keen to send our investors in Kerala.”
Shri. Ashish Khann, Head, Energy Division, World Bank, said Kerala had crafted a right mix of energy basket that includes everything – hydro, solar, wind. “But there is an imperative need for broadbasing this strategy which is environmentally sustainable.
Shri. M S Unnikrishnan, MD, Thermax Ltd, Shri. Rakesh Sarin, MD, Wartsilla India Ltd, and Shri. R K Singh, CMD, BPCL, were among those who participated in the panel discussion.