Adani, Siemens, GMR, Reliance vying for green mobility project in UP

Top renewable energy majors, including Adani-TotalEnergies, GMR Energy, Reliance, and Siemens, are vying for a green mobility project in Uttar Pradesh.

The state government plans to develop e-charging infrastructure on four expressways -- Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Agra-Lucknow, and Gorakhpur Link Expressway.

Nodal agency UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) invited bids from private companies, to set up a network of 26 e-charging stations in these projects. According to a government official, nearly a dozen companies, including Reliance, GMR Energy, Adani-TotalEnergies, Belectric, Lightzip Technologies, EV Plexus, and Siemens, participated in the bidding.

The proposed e-charging stations would also comprise public amenities and vending zones with the government providing land on a 10-year lease to the bidder. “After the allotment of land, the company would be expected to start operations within six months. The state government would get 5 per cent of the revenues after five years,” he added.

As the state targets to achieve full e-mobility by 2030, the government is taking steps to boost renewable energy production like solar and encourage people to use green energy products, especially electric vehicles (EVs). It also plans to set up a robust network of e-charging stations at other public places and residential enclaves.

UP has the highest number of registered EVs on its roads, with nearly 25 per cent of the total EVs in the country.

The UP EV Manufacturing & Mobility Policy 2022 plans to attract investment, promote sustainable transport, and foster an ecosystem for EVs. 

With the policy, the state plans to attract an investment of Rs 30,000 crore. It aims at generating 22,000 megawatt (mw) of solar energy to meet its green energy commitments and cater to the growing energy demand in UP, which has already touched 30,000 mw.

The state is also in the process of inviting solar energy bids of 7,000 mw. While it will float bids of 4,000 mw in the first phase, another round of 3,000 mw will happen later.

Even as the government has drafted solar energy and bioenergy policies to leverage the potential in these sectors, it is now hammering out biofuel and energy storage policies to provide a holistic landscape to investors.