Power ministers of states, UTs meet in Goa

Union minister of state for power, coal and new and renewable energy Piyush Goyal today inaugurated a two-day conference on 'power, renewable energy and mines' in Panaji, Goa, attended by the concerned ministers of states and union territories.

''The aim of this conference is to review implementation of various on-going schemes, programmes and a host of issues pertaining to power, coal and renewable energy sectors,'' a press statement said.

Ministers and secretaries of the states and union territories and senior officials of power, coal and renewable energy and public sector undertakings of the ministries will meet to discuss issues including implementation of Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), 24x7 power for all, rural electrification programme, transmission corridors and availability including intra-state transmission capacity.

Goa's power minister Milind Naik will attend the conference, where it is expected the state will put up a fresh proposal for power purchase and other related issues to ensure Goa gets 24x7 power supply.

Discussions will also be held on formulation of broad aspects of progressive hydropower policy. In the coal sector, deliberations will be held on coal swapping.

Adoption of energy conservation building codes by States and energy efficient agricultural pumps will also be discussed during the deliberations. In the area of renewable energy, state-wise review will be taken on solar power, wind power and small hydro power as well as the compliance of renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) and renewable energy certificates (RECs).