50% of Gujarat power will come from green technologies

 Source: DNA INDIA

Ahmedabad: In an exclusive interview with DNA, Gujarat power and industries minister Saurabh Patel discussed the state's future plans for energy.
What do the ongoing Climate Change summit in Copenhagen, world energy conservation day celebrations, and Gujarat have in common?
They are all concerned about the future requirements of energy and the impact of power generation on global warming. Even as there is a debate underway on India's commitment to reduction in carbon emissions, the Modi government already has several ambitious plans for energy generation.
The future is gas-based power generation. In the next few years, Gujarat aims to switch to clean mechanisms -- such as solar, hydro, wind and tidal power -- for as much as 50 per cent of its total power generation. A tidal power project will be launched either in the Gulf of Kutch or Khambhat.
This will be achieved at a huge initial cost. But the extra cash will be well spent as it will lead to savings on recurring expenses. It will ensure that state's carbon emission does not shoot up in the next decade because of its power generation projects.
What are your thoughts on Climate Change and how high is it on Gujarat government's agenda?
Climate Change is an issue that is being debated world over and needs to be tackled seriously. Gujarat has already started doing its bit by promoting clean energy. In fact, Gujarat is the first state in the country to set up a separate Climate Change department. The state government has been encouraging the use of clean fuels to generate energy. Unfortunately, the amounts of such clean fuel (such as gas) needed in Gujarat is very high but we do not have adequate supplies.
How is the state government promoting green energy?
We are promoting power generation through renewable sources such as wind and solar power. We are also focusing on nuclear power generation. The state government is working on a biomass policy for electricity generation, the draft of which is being readied and will be soon placed in the assembly.
How are things shaping up as far as wind power generation is concerned?
As far as wind energy is concerned, Gujarat, with an installed power generation capacity of over 1,500 MW, is second only to Tamil Nadu. We are promoting this sector in a big way and aim to expand capacity by a further 500 MW this year. We are utilising state PSUs such as GACL, GNFC, GSFC, GMDC and GSPC to generate wind power.
The cost of tapping solar power for energy is very high. How does the government plan to overcome this problem?
The Gujarat government is taking the lead in promoting solar energy generation. We realise that as solar energy is costlier than power from other sources, it will never pick up if it is not taken seriously. We have, therefore, decided to offer Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited Rs1,000 crore as subsidy for solar power generation for the next 10 years.
It is a huge sum, but it will ensure that solar energy is properly tapped. Moreover, once new technologies are produced, the cost of power will come down and the subsidy burden will ease. The government is even planning to promote hybrid power generation through plants that run on sunlight during daytime and gas at night.
What is the status of the work on expanding the gas grid in the state?
Gujarat was the first state to encourage use of gas as fuel and continues to do so. We already have gas grid in 15 districts and plan to cover the remaining areas soon. We also want to include the smaller towns in North Gujarat and Saurashtra. The grid will be expanded to Pipavav, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Mundra, Mehsana, Vapi and other places.
Around 150 CNG stations will be set up across the state in the next 15 months.
These include mother stations which will be directly connected to the main pipeline, and daughter stations which will be supplied gas by tankers. We are even asking all government vehicles to switch to CNG.
What is the status of the work on expanding the gas grid in the state?
Gujarat was the first state to encourage use of gas as fuel and continues to do so. We already have gas grid in 15 districts and plan to cover the remaining areas soon. We also want to include the smaller towns in North Gujarat and Saurashtra. The grid will be expanded to Pipavav, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Mundra, Mehsana, Vapi and other places.