Ministry planning PSP policy, says Afzal
The Ministry of Power is exploring new Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to do near accurate forecasting for solar and wind power generation for effective grid management to plan better for the programme, said a senior official at 5th CII International Energy Conference and Exhibition at New Delhi on 18 Dec.
“We are reviewing the AI-ML technologies for near accurate forecasting. We are reviewing the forecasting technologies for solar and wind generation to address the challenge for effective grid management and plan better,” said Dr D Sai Baba, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power.
Dr Sai also added that the government is looking to modify PLI Scheme for specialty steel for inclusion of steel used in transformers and other transmission equipment in order encourage domestic production.
“One of the major challenges in supply-chain is getting transformers and reactors. For that the special steel used in transformer is an important item. We are aware that it is not manufactured in India, but this is an essential important component for transmission network for the transformers.
“The PLI Scheme has not taken off as per expectation, so we are adding more ideas so that PLI scheme for special steel can have needed uptake,” he went on.
“We are hopeful in the next two years the country will be able to start producing some amount of special steel. That will be a big relief for the demand of transformers in the country,” said Dr Sai Baba.
As part of its climate action commitments, the country has finalised National Electricity Plan 2023 to 2032 for Central and State Transmission Systems that aims to meet the peak demand of 458 GW by 2032 https://www.bseindia.com/.
Under the previous plan 2017-22, about 17,700 ckm lines and 73 GVA transformation capacity were added annually. Under the new plan, transmission network in the country will be expanded from 4.85 lakh ckm in 2024 to 6.48 lakh ckm in 2032. During the same period the transformation capacity will increase from 1,251 GVA to 2,342 GVA, according to a PIB release earlier this year.
The total investment in the plan is estimated at Rs.9.15 lakh crore till 2032, added Dr Sai Baba. This plan will help in meeting the increasing electricity demand, facilitate renewable energy integration and green hydrogen loads into the grid https://www.nseindia.com/.
The Power Ministry is also planning a Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) policy, added Mohammad Afzal, Joint Secretary-Hydro, Ministry of Power.
Given that tariffs of hydro power are higher than solar and wind, the government is giving an enabling infrastructure, Afzal said, adding that Central financial assistance is being provided in various forms. For instance, the Centre is providing equity support for creation of JV between Centre and State – such as in Arunachal Pradesh.
Earlier in the day, B Thiagarajan, Chairman of CII’s Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and Managing Director, Blue Star Limited, said that within a year, India, which is a developing country, will become the country with the largest number of green buildings.
He pointed out that India has several “Green” accreditation bodies, of which IGBC is one https://www.iea.org/.
IGBC, a Centre for Excellence of CII, has standards for certifying schools, homes, factories, and metro-rails, he added. fiinews.com
