Indian State Odisha Plans 3 GW Renewable Energy Capacity
The eastern state of Odisha is the latest among a number of Indian states that have begun updating their renewable energy policies in response to the ambitious target of 175 GW by 2022 announced by the central government.
The state government of Odisha has announced a target to add 3 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, representing just over 3% of India’s overall target to add around 140 GW of renewable energy capacity by the same year.
The capacity addition target includes 2.3 GW of solar power, 350 MW wind energy, 150 MW of small-scale hydro power, 180 MW of biomass-based power, and 20 MW of municipal solid waste-based power capacity.
Solar power capacity addition would be divided into 4 segments: 500 MW capacity would be in the form of normal utility-scale projects, 250 MW capacity on water bodies, 50 MW capacity rooftop projects in the commercial and domestic consumers segment, and 1.5 GW capacity through large-scale solar parks.
At present Odisha has an installed solar power capacity of 31.5 MW including a 25 MW project allocated through competitive auction. Power from this project is being purchased by the local power utility to partially fulfil its renewable purchase obligation. The state also has 64.3 MW of small-scale hydro and 20 MW of biomass-based power generation capacity.
To achieve this capacity addition target, the state government will create a separate Odisha Renewable Energy Development Fund. The government will earmark around $77 million (Rs 500 crore) for this fund over the next 5 years and also look for other financial mechanisms to support the development of renewable energy infrastructure in the state.
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