In a new move towards clean power capacity, India recently unveiled a 2.44 trillion rupee plan to build transmission lines to connect renewable generation.
What is happening: aiming to nearly triple its clean-power capacity by 2030, the power ministery unveiled the $30 billion plan.
The project will connect solar plants in the sun-drenched deserts of Rajasthan and Gujarat and wind farms in Tamil Nadu to the national network.
Why does it matter: It will help boost India’s inter-regional transmission capacity from 112 gigawatts to 150 gigawatts by the end of the decade ending 2030.
The transmission plan includes building transformers and high voltage lines to carry power over very long distances, whilst also laying submarine cables to ship electricity from offshore wind projects.
Backdrop: The lack of adequate transmission lines has contributed significantly to the under utilisation of renewable energy in the country's power requirements.
Addressing this shortfall would enable clean power flow to urban and industrial hubs that are often far from generation sources.
Numbers: Having a generation capacity of 173 gigawatts from just non-fossil fuel sources, India plans to almost triple its power generation capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
Possible hurdles: Private transmission companies have been lobbying New Delhi to allocate all projects through competitive bids, rather than the current practice of giving some to state-run Power Grid Corp. of India Ltd. without competition.
At the moment there is caution over how the contracts will be awarded, whether private company lobbyists would get preference over the initially established system.
Conclusion: In a move to increase power generation, transmission lines promoting renewable energy has been proposed by the ministry of power. Agreements issual remains unclear so far.
