The allocation for solar projects under off-grid and decentralized renewable power is seen declining 35 per cent to Rs 525 crore for the next financial year from Rs 812 crore based on the revised estimate for 2018-19.
New Delhi: The interim budget has allocated Rs 3,004.90 crore for development of solar power projects next financial year (2019-20) including both grid-interactive and off-grid and decentralized categories. This is a mere 1 per cent increase over the likely expenditure of Rs 2,969 crore for solar projects this fiscal.
Under grid-interactive schemes, the budgeted allocation for solar is seen rising 15 per cent to Rs 2,479 crore in 2019-20 as compared to the current fiscal’s Revised Estimate of Rs 2,157.24 crore, a review of budget documents tabled in Parliament show.
“The provision of Central Financial Assistance (CFA) will be utilized for capacity addition of 7,500 Megawatt Solar Power in 2019-20 under the grid interactive renewable power,” the Expenditure Budget document for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said.
The allocation for solar projects under off-grid and decentralized renewable power is seen declining 35 per cent to Rs 525 crore for the next financial year from Rs 812 crore based on the revised estimate for 2018-19.
Solar projects under off-grid and decentralized renewable power constitute the implementation of Ph-III solar PV programme which covers installation of 3 lakh solar street lights, distribution of 25 lakh solar study lamps and installation of solar power packs of the total aggregated capacity of 100 MW.
In addition, the government plans to install over 3 lakh solar street lights to under AJAY Ph-II. Also, 20 MW projects of Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) technology will be undertaken in the new fiscal.
Overall, the budget has allocated Rs 4,960 crore for both grid-interactive and off-grid or decentralized renewable power for 2019-20. This is a marginal 1 per cent increase over the allocation of Rs 4,903 crore based on the Revised Estimate for current fiscal.
Apart from solar, the budget has allocated a bulk of the funds under two other heads — wind power and green energy corridors. Both of them fall in the grid-interactive category.
Wind Power has been allocated 24 per cent less at Rs 720.00 crore for 2019-20 as compared to Rs 950 crore of revised allocation for the current fiscal year. Wind Power capacity of 4,000 Mw will be commissioned in 2019-20.
The budget has raised the allocation for green energy corridors by 40 per cent to Rs 700 crore as compared to Rs 500 crore allocation based on the Revised Estimate of 2018-19.
The budget documents showed the provision of CFA will be utilized for capacity addition of cumulative 6,000 Circuit Kilometer (ckm) of transmission infrastructure under intra-state Green Energy Corridor project in 2019-20.
Source: energy.economictimes.indiatimes
