Orissa for Central policy on Independent Power Producers (IPPs) solar power generation

Following report is from http://www.business-standard.com:

In a move that is tipped to give a big boost to solar power generation in the country in general and Orissa in particular, the Orissa government has urged the Union ministry of power to introduce a policy which makes it mandatory for all the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to generate solar power equivalent to one per cent of their proposed thermal power capacity.

“Orissa has got a number of investment proposals from the IPPs. We have requested the Union power ministry to come out with a policy which makes it mandatory for all the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to generate solar power equivalent to one per cent of their proposed thermal power capacity. Moreover, we have suggested that these IPPs can sell thermal as well as solar power in bundled form”, an official source told Business Standard.

The generation and consumption of solar power being an expensive proposition, many of the power producers are not keen on tapping this renewable energy source. As against the cost of Rs 4-4.5 crore per MW for setting up a thermal power plant, the cost of installation of a solar power plant is around Rs 18 crore per MW.

However, a policy measure which makes its mandatory on the part of the IPPs to commit one per cent of their proposed thermal capacity to solar power generation and the concept of selling both thermal and solar power in bundled form is expected to promote solar power in a big way.

It ma be noted that as many as 27 IPPs have entered into MoUs (Memoranda of Understanding) with the Orissa government for setting up coal-based power plants with a cumulative capacity of 32,420 MW.

Besides, there is a proposed capacity addition of 23000 MW through the setting up of an Ultra Mega Power Plant and also capacity expansion plans of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the state utility- Orissa Power Generation Corporation (OPGC).

Out of the 27 IPPs, Sterlite Energy has commissioned the first unit (600 MW) of its 2400 MW (4×600) power plant at Burkhamunda near Jharsuguda.

Have an extra holiday, says power-starved Orissa state government

Following is a report by IANS published in  http://www.thaindian.com:

Bhubaneswar, Feb 25 (IANS) Faced with an acute shortage of power, the Orissa government is planning to tell factory and office managements to take off for an extra day every week, an official said Thursday.

There is a severe drop in power production in Orissa mainly due to dip in water level in hydro-power units (reservoirs) following erratic rainfall last year. Though the state is trying to shore up the shortfall by sourcing power from captive power plants of private companies, technical snags have acted as deterrents.

“We used to source power from Sterlite Industries, Vedanta and Bhusan. But all three units have developed technical snags at the same time, hitting power production. Hence, we are not getting the 400-500 MW of power we used to get from them,” a senior official of the state energy department said.

To overcome the problem, the Orissa government is going to ask industries and business houses to have an extra holiday each week, the official said, adding that it would save about 200 MW of power every day.

“We are planning to implement power holiday in industries and big business houses once a week. It would save us electricity. The notification in this regard would be announced soon,” he said.

Solar power to illuminate 3,000 villages in Orissa by December 2011

Following report is from http://www.business-standard.com:

More than 3000 villages in Orissa would be covered under the Remote Village Electrification Programme (RVEP), being implemented by the Orissa Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA), by December 2011. The state energy department would soon notify the identified villages, including those in the naxal affected areas, for this purpose. This was decided in a high level meeting chaired by the chief minister Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariat.

RVEP, which started from 2007-08, is being implemented by the Orissa Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA), the nodal agency of the Orissa government to promote new and renewable energy in the state. It has made substantial headway with the identification of 1080 villages for electrification under the programme. While 659 projects were sanctioned, 249 villages have been electrified under the scheme. Besides, the survey is in progress in 256 villages of the state.

In all these villages, the conventional grid extension is either not feasible or not cost effective. Under the programme, provision is made for minimum illumination to all households, 2 CFL bulbs of 9 watt per household and one street light of 11 watt per every ten houses for community use. Meanwhile, the state has received proposals for setting up of solar power plants with aggregate generation capacity of 449 Mw.

The State Technical Committee (STC), headed by the secretary in the science and technology department, has cleared proposals worth 294 Mw. About Rs 5292 crore is expected to be invested in these projects.