MPs to meet on wind energy growth in Bangalore

MPs from coastal states will meet here July 13 to chalk out an action plan on the development of wind energy and challenges facing the industry, an official said Monday.

"It is the first time a meeting of MPs concerned is being held on challenges in the wind energy sector to initiate policy dialogue and parliamentary interventions," the official said in a statement here.

Organised by Climate Parliament, a global network of parliamentarians promoting renewable energy, the two-day meeting will discuss the document on the development of wind power during the current 12th Five Year Plan.

The Climate Parliament India steering committee comprises Milind Deora, Rajeev Shukla, Rajeev Pratap Rudy, Sanjay Jaiswal, Jayant Chaudhary, Kalikesh Singh Deo, P.D. Rai and Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi.

Representatives from the ministry of renewable energy, state governments, sector experts and industry will participate in the meeting, to be inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Finance J.D. Seelam.

"The Climate Parliament group of MPs, who contributed to the document for the development of renewable energy in India, has recently apprised the prime minister on targets to be achieved during the plan period (2012-17) under the national action plan on climate change," the official said.

Wind energy accounts for about 70 percent of the grid power from renewable energy across the country, with over 19 giga watt (GW) of the installed capacity and will be highest renewable energy contributor in future.

In the current plan period, about 50 percent of the targetted 30,000 mega watt (MW) has been envisaged to be from wind power.

The Indian wind energy sector has seen a rapid trajectory growth during the past few years owing to policy incentives and support from the ministry.

"The wind power industry is, however, going through a transition, as the government withdrew some of the financial benefits the stakeholders had earlier and due to issues like transmission, land availability and revenue instability plaguing it," the official noted.

As a result, the industry growth in the last fiscal (2012-13) when the combined installation of wind power projects declined by 50 percent from the previous fiscal (2011-12), hampering investor confidence in the market.

"The meeting is aimed at appraising the MPs on the issues by engaging them with stakeholders in the sector and identifying key issues for parliamentary interventions," the official added.