Punjab may generate 1,500 Mw from canal turbines in a year

Punjab government has initiated an ambitious clean energy project to generate 1,500 Mw power from the ‘run of the canal turbines’. The Punjab Energy Development Agency (Peda) has already developed an indigenous prototype of the turbines.

Announcing this project in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)’s annual Punjab session, focussing on ‘Transforming Punjab: Implementing Strategies for Growth’, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said after harnessing 11,000 Mw from thermal power in the next two years and 700 Mw from renewable energy resources, Punjab was set to exploit the rivers and canals crisscrossing the state as a part of its irrigation network for producing energy.

He said, in the project special turbines would be submerged in the canals and rivers and these turbines would produce more than 1,500 Mw power and the state has invited private entrepreneurs to become partners in this project of inclusive growth. He said he would along with the delegation visit China next month to explore the latest technology for this project.

Inviting the industry to partner in the inclusive growth of industry and share the social responsibility of imparting skills to youth, Badal said when the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party took over the reins of power, he focussed on strengthening infrastructure, power, road and air connectivity of the state. He said his mission was to offset the weaknesses of the state, Punjab being a landlocked Island.

He said with the vision and without spending a single penny from the treasury, he was able to lure private sector for investing more than Rs 92,000 crore in the power projects, Rs 20,000 crore in Bathinda refinery besides Rs 6,669 crore in the road sector. He said with the people-friendly policy, Punjab is all set to generate 700 Mw power from renewable energy projects including 33 biomass projects. Badal said besides solving the chronic problem of pollution due to burning of agricultural residues, these projects were giving Rs 3,000 per acre additional income to the farmers.

He said to provide value addition to its farmers, Punjab was setting up different hubs in the state — in Bathinda for textiles, for sugar along the border and for IT in Rajpura.

Emphasising on planned development of the tri-city as an integrated hub, Badal said he has already talked to the Union Territory Administrator Shiv Raj Patil for extending the scope of metro to Mohali and Mullanpur besides Panchkula. He said, to exploit the potential of medical tourism a medicity has been planned in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur), a state-of-art art trade centre and knowledge city in Mohali.

Badal asked CII to drop the programme for upkeep of focal points in the states in partnership with the state government.