Greentech Lead India: Orissa has urged the Centre to
provide subsidy to power distributing companies for buying costlier solar
power.
The subsidies will help avoid the over burden on
consumers in the state with higher electricity bills.
Currently, Grid Corporation of Orissa (Gridco) buys solar
power at Rs 18.52 per unit from plants built under the RPGGSP scheme. Solar
projects outside the scheme are providing power at less than Rs 8 per
unit.
“The state consumers are unwilling to pay for high
cost solar power. The government of India should subsidise solar power purchase
by discoms,” said Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, state energy minister.
The state recently commissioned an 1 MW solar plant under
the Rooftop PV Small Solar Generation Programme (RPSSGP), floated by the Union
Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
The state energy minister also demanded that Central
government should provide managed Renewable Energy Fund to better use for
creation of infrastructure in the state.
Farooq Abdulla, the Union minister for new and renewable
energy, said the Centre was ready to provide all support to upgrade basic
infrastructure to boost consumption of unconventional energy in the states.
Orissa has the potential to generate about 5,000 MW solar
power and around 2,000 MW wind power. The state has relatively less solar
installation as compared with Rajasthan and Gujarat, and should be given
proportionately higher allocation.
Currently, Gridco is availing 13 MW solar power from nine
units and by the end of 2012-13, it will be adding another 25 Mw. The state was
scheduled to generate 8 MW solar power under RPGGSP and 20 MW under Jawaharlal
Nehru National Solar Mission.
The Orissa government
is targeting 50 MW of power from renewable energy sources during 2012-13.
Orissa Renewable Energy Development Authority (OREDA)
recently selected Kolkata-based Alex Astral Power to set up 25 MW solar power
plant in Bolangir.