Jaipur, October 13. Chief Minister Mr Ashok
Gehlot said that Rajasthan has become a leading state in the field of renewable
energy. Investments are continuously pouring in the renewable energy sector after
the state government came out with new solar and wind energy policies and
simplification of rules. Maximum MoUs have also been signed in the field of
solar energy in the Invest Rajasthan Summit.
The Chief Minister was addressing a programme organized on the occasion of the signing of the MoU between Coal India Limited and Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam for setting up 1190Mw solar project on Thursday He said that the State Government has always promoted renewable energy resources.
The Chief Minister said that the signing of the MoU by Coal India Limited with Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam of Rs 5400 crore for the solar project is a sign of good coordination between the State Government and the Centre. Shri Gehlot said that with the setting up of a solar park, uninterrupted power supply can be made to the general public along with saving coal and reducing pollution.
A solar park with a total capacity of 2000Mw
power generation will be set up at Poogal tehsil jointly by Rajasthan Vidyut
Utpadan Nigam and Coal India Limited. Coal India will set up the solar project
with a capacity of 1190Mw, while Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam will set up
810Mw of the solar project. 4846 hectares of land has been allotted for the
solar park in Bikaner.
Mr Gehlot said that the manufacturing of necessary equipment for setting up solar energy plants and the work of assembling should be done in the state itself to give the benefit of increasing investment in the field of solar energy to the people. With this, new employment opportunities will be created at local level.
The Chief Minister said that the supply of
coal has been affected due to hurdles in mining in the coal mines allotted to
the state in Chhattisgarh, but the state government coordinating with the Central
Government and Coal India Limited has got the number of coal rakes increased,
which has ensured smooth supply of coal to the state. The cancellation of the
order of the Central Government to buy 10% of the state's coal required in form
of expensive imported coal, has also reduced the economic burden on the state.
He said that the national target of developing the capacity of 500Gw renewable
energy by 2029-30 would be achieved with good coordination between the Centre
and State Governments.
The Chief Minister said that it is easy to set up solar plants due to the large area of the state and at the same time, providing electricity to the scattered habitation in villages and hamlets in remote areas is a big challenge for the state government. It is a difficult task to provide electricity to every household in such a large area and in tough geographical conditions. For this, the Central Government should come forward and help the state. He said that despite these difficulties, the state has made exemplary progress in the field of power supply. At the time of independence, Rajasthan was generating only 13Mw of electricity, while today power generation of more than 23,000Mw is taking place in the state.
It is to be mentioned that Rajasthan is in the
first position in the country by setting up 14825Mw solar power projects. The
State Government is making continuous efforts to link the general public with
solar power generation and solar rooftop plants of 835Mw have been set up in
the state.
Union Coal Minister Mr Prahalad Joshi said
that the country has sufficient reserves of coal and coal supply will be
ensured to the states as per the requirement. States are being provided with
the options of the road to rail and rail-sea-rail to ensure smooth
transportation of coal. He said that India is at the forefront in the fight
against global warming.
Energy Minister Mr Bhanwar Singh Bhati said
that investment is coming into the state from the private and government
sectors in the field of solar energy sector due to the policies of the state
government and Rajasthan has emerged as a solar energy hub in the country.
Chief Secretary Smt Usha Sharma said that Rajasthan has the capacity to
generate 142Gw solar power and 127Gw wind power.
Coal India Limited Chairman Mr Pramod
Agarwal said that Coal India is providing coal on priority to the states.
Energy department principal secretary Shri Bhaskar A Sawant said that setting
up a solar park in Bikaner is a big step towards increasing the generation of
green energy.
Former Education Minister Shri Govind Singh
Dotasara, MP Ramcharan Bohra, Mayor Jaipur Greater Smt Sheel Dhabhai,
Additional Coal Secretary with Government of India Shri M Nagaraju, Rajasthan
Vidyut Utpadan Nigam CMD Shri RK Sharma and other officers were present on this
occasion.
