GUWAHATI, May 5 - In a development which may have a significant bearing on the State, the Union Power Ministry has announced that it is in the process of preparing a framework for hydro-power development in India and the same will soon be taken to the highest level in the Government. This was announced by a top ministry official at an Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) event in New Delhi on Tuesday.
According to a press release uploaded on the ASSOCHAM website, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Kalikho Pul also assured in the same function that the Arunachal Pradesh Government would provide single-window clearance to all power developers from both Central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) and the private sector.
The Additional Secretary (Hydro), Ministry of Power, BP Pandey said in his address at the function, �We are preparing a framework for hydro development in this country and very soon we will take it up to the highest level in the Government, and so the focus is going to be back on hydro.� He was inaugurating the ASSOCHAM conference on �Hydropower @Crossroads.�
He said that in totality, hydropower comes out as a much cleaner, greener and sustainable option, while adding that water security is an issue in India and there is a need for storage as well.
Highlighting that reducing costs is one of the major challenges in the hydro sector, he said, �How do we bring down costs or tariff of hydro projects, can we overcome and remove some of the long-drawn clearance processes taking into account environmental safety as well and basin studies, can we also devise some innovative financing models in our instruments which may help to restore the investor confidence which as of now has gone down and people are really not investing apart from PSUs?�
In his address, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul assured a single-window clearance to all power developers from both the CPSUs and the private sector. It needs to be mentioned here that Arunachal Pradesh accounts for over one-half of the one lakh megawatt (MW) untapped hydropower potential in India.
�We will provide all support to private developers for installing and commissioning of hydro-power plants with facilities of single-window clearance,� said Pul. �All requirements of local coordination will be fast-tracked and we will ensure that there is no barrier to investors,� he assured.
The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister also said that his Government was examining various options available for funding the equity participation of the State, including the option to exit from the same.
�We wish to create a win-win situation for the country, the people of the State, the State itself along with its ecological system, hydro-power developers, and entrepreneurs in many fields who would be attracted by such growth and change,� he added.
Suggesting that both solar and hydropower should simultaneously be promoted, Pul said that projects between 50 and 100 MW should be promoted and taken up under the Ministry of Non-Renewable Energy and there is need of source subsidy funding for the same.
�With a view to raise the share of hydropower in the electricity-mix of the country, the Ministry of Power may set up a green energy corridor to evacuate hydropower generation from Arunachal Pradesh and North Eastern region,� Pul added.
