Kutch to have 41.5 GW Hybrid Renewable Park
14 Sep 2020
The Gujarat cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal for setting up a 41,500 MW renewable park in Kutch district and also approved the allotment of 60,000 hectares of land for the mega project.
The 41.5 GW (combined solar+wind) renewable energy mega project has been pending with the revenue department for allocation of 60,000 hectares of land in the district.
A high-powered committee of officials has completed approval of the land allocation plans for five major companies and forwarded the draft allocation plan to the state cabinet for approval. Firms getting land allocation include SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India), NTPC, GIPCL, GSEC, Adani Power and Suzlon, which are expected to get land for their 23,000 MW, 5,000 MW, 2,500 MW, 3,500 MW, 3,500 MW and 4,000 MW solar and wind power generation projects respectively.
The hybrid energy park project is one of the select projects of national importance that the prime minister reviews at his monthly PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) review programme. The PMO has sent several reminders to the state government to expedite land allotment for the project over the last few years.
Another such project, the 7.5GW Leh-Kargil project, is also going though the approval process. The two projects will add nearly 50 GW of renewable energy helping the government keep track of its renewable energy target for 2022 and beyond.
The Kutch hybrid renewable energy park is projected to attract investment of around Rs1.35 lakh crore. The PM had given a deadline of 2022 for the completion of the project.
The project is also attractive because of easier access to land, availability of transmission infrastructure, and importantly, assured demand for power because of the level of industrialisation of the state.