In a two-day National Conference of Power and New & Renewable Energy Ministers of States and Union Territories, Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R. K. Singh emphasized the critical role of the power sector in India’s economic growth. The conference, held in New Delhi from November 6 to 7, 2023, brought together ministers and officials to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the power sector.
Minister Singh stressed that despite the global push to reduce coal usage, India would not compromise on ensuring a consistent power supply for its growing economy. He acknowledged that power demand had increased significantly, with a 20% rise in August, September, and October 2023 compared to the previous year. To address this surge in demand, he urged all states to operate their power plants at full capacity.
To bridge the supply-demand gap, Singh called for coal blending, where states mix different types of coal to maximize resource utilization. He also emphasized equitable distribution of available coal among states and encouraged setting up new power plants near coal mining areas to reduce transportation challenges.
The Minister highlighted the need to accelerate the implementation of the Rural Distribution Strengthening Scheme (RDSS) and advocated for using renewable energy sources for agricultural purposes to save coal-based power generation for non-solar hours.
The conference also heard from Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal, who noted the plans to add 10,000 MW of thermal capacity and 21,000 MW of renewable energy capacity in the current fiscal year. The government is committed to achieving a total capacity of 900 GW by 2031-32.
Shri Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Secretary of New & Renewable Energy, underscored the remarkable growth of renewable energy capacity in India and the government’s ambitious goal of installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030. Bhalla highlighted the importance of state governments’ policies and initiatives in driving this progress and encouraged them to overcome challenges in promoting solar energy adoption and align their regulations with Green Open Access Rules.
The conference served as a platform for stakeholders to discuss strategies for addressing the power sector’s challenges and fostering sustainable growth in India’s energy landscape.
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