Greentech Lead India: The Orissa government is targeting
50 MW of power from renewable energy sources during 2012-13.
“Presently, 10 MW solar power is being produced in the
state. This apart, the process of developer selection is completed for
generation of additional 25 MW. For 2012-13, we have set solar power generation
target of 50 MW,” said Ramesh Majhi, minister for science and technology.
20 MW is being generated from bio-mass. Grid Corporation
of Orissa (Gridco) has signed power purchase agreements with eight developers
for biomass generation of 98 MW. Of these eight developers, two have targeted
to operationalize their units in 2012-13 with a generation capacity of 10 MW.
Recently, Kolkata-based Alex Astral Power bagged a
contract for setting up of a 25 MW solar power plant in Orissa. The project
cost is Rs 300 crore. The project is likely to come up in Bolangir district.
Alex will sell solar energy at Rs 7 per unit to Gridco
and in turn, the bulk power power purchaser will buy power from Alex for 25
years. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is expected to be signed in the last
week of April. The project will have 70:30 debt-equity ratio, according to a
media report.
The first solar power plant in the state with a capacity
of one MW was commissioned by Hyderabad-based Raajratna Energy Holdings Private
Limited (REHPL). This was commissioned in five months for Rs 16-17 crore.
Gridco had finalized PPAs with eight solar developers,
each with a capacity of 1 MW. It signed agreement with Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency to avail generation based incentive (GBI) under the Union
ministry of new & renewable energy (MNRE) under Rooftop Photovoltaic and
Small Solar Generation Programme (RPSSGP) scheme.
Gridco also entered into power sale agreement with NTPC
Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, a subsidiary of NTPC, to avail solar power bundled with
equivalent capacity of thermal power from unallocated share of upcoming NTPC
stations under New Solar Projects scheme of MNRE. Under this scheme, 20 MW of
solar power has been allocated to Gridco.
The National Tariff Policy mandates each state
electricity regulatory commission (SERC) to specify a renewable energy purchase
obligation by the states in a time-bound manner where solar purchase obligation
(SPO) is a part. The Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) has fixed
RPO of five percent for 2011-12 of which 0.1 percent would be from solar power.
