Govt. committed to its renewable energy target of 30 GW by 2022: Gujarat Energy Minister
New Delhi:Mr Saurabh Bhai Patel, Energy Minister, Government of Gujarat today said that the state government is committed to its renewable energy target of 30 GW by 2022. He urged the industry to identify land pockets and participate in the upcoming bidding process, which will pick up pace in the coming months.
Addressing a FICCI webinar on ‘Outlook for Renewable Energy Sector in the State of Gujarat’ organized under the aegis of FICCI Renewable Energy CEOs Council, Mr Patel said that huge transmission infrastructure is being set up in Gujarat considering the new renewable energy plants to be installed in near future. The government has identified 150 new substations that will be set up this year, he added.
Mr Patel said that 84,000 hectares of land has been identified in Kutch for hybrid parks and around 30,000 MW of wind and solar power is being planned from these parks. He added that the government and developers should come together in identifying more renewable energy parks.
Mr Ranjit Gupta, Chair, FICCI Renewable Energy CEOs Council and CEO Azure Power said that the renewable energy industry is ready to make investments in Gujarat and the state has a very positive ecosystem for investments in various sectors including renewable energy. He mentioned that with more than 10.5 GW of renewable energy installed, Gujarat is a leading supporter of renewable energy projects across the country.
Mr Gupta added that IPPs have made huge investments in renewable energy sector in the state because of the investor-friendly policies and the support that investors get from the various state government agencies.
Mr Sunil Parekh, Chair, FICCI Gujarat State Council and Corporate Advisor, Zydus Group and Jubliant Bhartia Group said that Gujarat has always been at the forefront, leading the renewable energy sector in terms of both existing capacity as well as the future potential. He mentioned that this interaction will help in building deeper connect between renewable energy players and the Government of Gujarat.
Mr Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI thanked the Minister and the leadership of Gujarat for taking giant strides and lead in renewable energy for the past many years. He said that today is the World Environment Day and the interaction on renewable energy, a major aspect for clean nature, integrates well into the theme of the day.
The CEOs of FICCI Renewable Energy Council also made a presentation to the Minister on key enablers for investments in renewable energy sector in Gujarat as well as suggestions for current renewable energy projects.