Aperc rules out new licences for biomass power plants

Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (Aprerc) has ruled out any new licences to set up biomass-based power plants in the state.

Speaking at a training programme on renewable energy, its chairman K Swaminathan said the decision to freeze biomass power generation was taken on account of different views on the state's actual biomass potential and complaints received from the forest department about alleged felling of trees for fuel by the existing developers.

The Aperc has stopped issuing new licences under the biomass category since 2004 citing the same reasons.

Swaminathan, however, said that the regulatory commission had made it mandatory for power utilities as well as third party players to buy 5 per cent of the total purchases from non-conventional sources to encourage renewable energy in the state.

While the current installed capacity of biomass power is about 207 Mw, the committee constituted by the state government in the past projected a total potential of 400 Mw in the state.