The Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today directed the officials to monitor and coordinate the Non-conventional energy generation every 15 days and speed up the process. To get the energy particularly in the sectors of Solar, Wind and mini hydel, NREDCAP will be the nodal agency. An Escort officer will also help the entrepreneurs in speeding up their projects in this regard.
The Chief Minister reviewed in detail solar energy and wind energy with the Ministers, officials of the energy sector, NEDCAP and entrepreneurs and associations of wind and solar energy at Secretariat. Ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Uttam Kumar Reddy, T.G.Venkatesh, Chief Secretary Minnie Mathew, Prl.Secretary Energy, M.Sahoo, CMD, APTRANSCO Hiralal Samaria, M.D. NREDCAP, Kamalakar, representatives of Wind and Solar Energy projects, Secretary to Chief Minister K.S.Jawahar Reddy and other officials attended the meeting.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government will encourage generation of wind and solar energy in a big way and welcomed the entrepreneurs to Andhra Pradesh. He said wind energy has a lot of possibility in all the Rayalaseema areas. He directed the energy officials to sort out all the practical problems in this regard. He assured the entrepreneurs that all their genuine demands will be met. The Chief Minister said we have to encourage the non-conventional energy, study the incentives given in other states, we have to be competitive and it should be a win-win situation.
The Chief Minister wants PPAs to be speeded up, he assured the wind energy developers that the tariff issue will be finalised soon and asked the energy department to take it up with the APERC which is looking into this issue. Officials informed the Chief Minister that the department officials had fruitful discussions with the solar power developers. The solar power developers told the Chief Minister that the departments are very cooperative and they have decided to come in a big way in Andhra Pradesh to set up solar power plants.
The total estimated gross potential of wind power in the State of AP is 8275 MW and the nodal agency for the State, New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) has till date sanctioned a capacity of 3643.10 MW to various wind turbine manufacturers and independent developers.
Majority of this wind capacity of the state is located in the Rayalaseema region, which has scarce rainfall and there are no major industries except for a few cement plants, making the wind sector a potential “green and non polluting industry” which can generate huge local employment in the most backward parts of the Rayalaseema Districts. Most of these sites are located in the remote areas in the districts and the construction of the wind power projects in these extreme rural areas result in strengthening the rural road networks and the electrical grid will also be stabilised due to the grid strengthening done by the power producers.
The meeting also discussed all issues like plant load factor and tariff, wheeling and banking policy, evacuation approvals for the projects and land allotment. (NSS)