Page 9 - AsiaElec Week 03 2022

AsiaElec RENEWABLES AsiaElec

Indian grids gearing up for all-

important move to renewables

INDIA NEW Delhi has given the green light for a mul- in place between the current financial year and
ti-billion US dollar project to help ready the the end of FY2025-2026.
nation’s regional and national power grids for Costs will be in part borne by India’s Central
an eventual move to linking with the increasing Financial Assistance (CFA) programme to offset
number of renewable energy sites around the Intra-State transmission fees in a bid to help keep
subcontinent. final user power costs down.
Already taking steps to promote its COP26 Crucially in such a large nation with five
commitments of reaching net zero by 2070, regional grids supplying electricity to over 1bn
authorities in India are looking to supply 50% people, multiple projects included in the overall
of its overall energy needs using current and costing are aimed at preventing any overload of
exploratory renewable sources, while also the nation’s critical electricity load management
increasing non-fossil fuel generation by the end system as managed by India’s state-run Power
of the current decade – an estimated total of 500 System Operation Corp. Ltd (Posoco).
GW if achieved. In the short term it is understood the project
In the same time frame the government of will supply 24 GW to the wider grid by the end
Narendra Modi is seeking to reduce overall car- of the calendar year.
bon emissions by around 1bn tonnes, according At present, the sub-continent had almost
to reports. 158 GW of installed renewable and non-fossil
In a statement released on its website, fuel capacity; around 40% of the nation’s total
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy installed electricity generating capacity.
(MNRE) announced: “The Green Energy Cor- Hydropower makes up the bulk of this total,
ridor Project aims at synchronising electricity coming in at 51.34 GW, with solar and wind gen-
produced from renewable sources, such as solar eration projects accounting for a further 48.55
and wind, with conventional power stations in GW and 40.03 GW respectively.
the grid.” Furthermore, India also generates close to 6.8
Local media indicate one of the first steps in GW of electricity capacity from nuclear power
this transition is an ongoing project to connect a plants (NPPs).
total of 20 GW to regional grids and ultimately Overall, nationwide, total capacity generation
the national grid across seven of India’s most is forecast to rise by a further 16 GW in the next
populous states. 12 months.
The MNRE also announced that “The Cab- As interest continues to grow in Indian
inet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired renewables after several years of stagnation
by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has because of drops in return on investments, and
approved the scheme on Green Energy Corridor lack of profit on feed-in tariffs (FiTs), reports
(GEC) Phase-II for Intra-State Transmission Sys- now indicate a further 63 GW of renewable
tem (InSTS) for (the) addition of approximately project capacity is currently under construction
10,750 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission around the country.
lines and approx. 27,500 Mega Volt-Amperes Foreign direct investments (FDIs) account
(MVA) transformation capacity of substations” for a total of $7.3bn as of mid-2021, with 11% of
and that these transmission facilities will be put the total coming in the last year alone. ™

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