Sunderbans renewable energy project on track

The power ministry in West Bengal has invited bids for the largest renewable energy project in the country in Sunderbans, which is expected to see an investment of above Rs 90 crore, a top ministry official said here on Thursday.

“We have invited tenders for the biomass solar hybrid project, which would be the largest renewable energy initiative in the country. Through this, we want to connect nearly 11 islands in the Sunderbans region. It would be a localised grid — with separate generation and distribution capacity. The cost for this project, which would be set up in public private partnership mode , is expected to be more than Rs 90 crore,” said M K De, principal secretary, department of power and non-conventional energy sources, on the sidelines of an energy summit organised by the European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) and the Bengal Chamber of Commerce.

The project biomass solar energy type and would be developed in a viability gap funding kind of model, in which the end product has to sold at a specified price. According to De, both biomass and solar energy would be used as the plan is to provide round-the-clock power supply.

Meanwhile, he added that in the recent package allotted to the state by the Centre government, Rs 100 crore is specifically for clean energy initiative and the department would act as the nodal aganecy in allotting those projects.

EU bets big on India
EBTC, which was co-founded by the Erupean Union to promote business initiatives in India, has said that for European clean energy companies India would be the next big market. According to EBTC dierctor Poul V Jensen, atleast 25 deals are in the pipeline and 5 are in final stages in India with European companies in clean energy sector.

The body, which was set up in 2009 specifically for India, concentrates on four sectors — biotechnology, energy, environment and transport. “One such deal facilitated by the organisation was signed here on Thursday between Kolkata-based Hari Machines and RAFACO from Poland for the co-operation in developing circulating fluidised bed boilers.

This would help the European power-equipement major to expand its base in India,” he said.

Both the companies would now bid for supplying boilers to coal-based power projects of upto 100 mega watt (MW) in the country.