India among world’s fastest in setting up new renewable energy capacity

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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">India has clocked one of the fastest rates of growth in renewable </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">energy capacity to emerge as world leader in energy transition., Union </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Minister of Power RK Singh said on Friday.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He pointed out that while India had pledged at United Nations COP-21 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">conference in Paris that 40% of its power generation capacity will be </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, the country had already reached </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the 38.5% mark. If the capacity that is currently under installation </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">is added the figure works out to 48.5%.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Addressing a conference of the confederation of Indian industry (CII), </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the minister said that India proposes to continue to be a world leader </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">in the coming years as well and has set a target to achieve 450 GW of </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">renewable energy capacity by 2030.  </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He also observed that India had achieved the goal of providing </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">universal access of electricity to all its citizens by connecting </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">every village under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana Scheme and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">connecting every household under Saubhagya Scheme.  It was the fastest </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and the largest expansion of access in the world.  This had also </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">resulted in the demand for electricity going up rapidly, he added.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Singh informed that India has already touched 200 GW of demand even </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">when the effects of COVID-19 was still there. The demand had crossed </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">what it was during pre-  COVID time and it is expected that electricity </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">demand will continue to rise.  This gives us the space for adding more </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">renewable energy capacity, he explained. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Minister further said that Government is determined that the job </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">creation due to this capacity addition must be located in India and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">that is why Aatmanirbhar Bharat is important.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Minister also pointed out that some countries had been dumping </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">solar cells and modules at very low price and harming our local </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">industry.  He said that to prevent dumping it was decided to impose </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">customs duty on imported cells and modules so as to provide protection </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to Indian Industry from dumping. </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He also referred to the mechanism of Approved List of Models and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Manufacturers which will provide protection to Indian industry. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The minister said that India will also emerge as a leader in green </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">hydrogen and green ammonia.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Singh informed that Government proposes to come out with rules and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">regulations providing for easier open access for those industries </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">which want to rely on green energy for their functioning.  Industry </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">will be able to either set up green energy manufacturing capacity </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">itself or through a developer and draw power from it through open </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">access.  The surcharge on open access will also be rationalized so as </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to ensure that open access is not saddled with unfair levies.</span></p>