- India's biggest renewable energy programme in Sundarbans
Sundarbans (WB), May 22
http://www.zeenews.com/links/articles.asp?aid=218596&sid=REG
India's largest renewable energy programme would soon be launched
in the Sundarbans to light up thousands of homes and streets here
in this estuarine delta of Bay of Bengal.
The Rs 150 crore project would set up renewable energy plants generating
a total of 10 mega watt with the help of biomass, wind, tidal or
solar energy.
Envisaged by the West Bengal renewable energy development agency
(Webreda) and jointly funded by the state and the Centre, the special
rural electrification programme with renewables would start within
the next two months.
Webreda director and Green Oscar Awardee S P Gon Chaudhuri said
that the project would target covering almost all the 53 islands
in the Sundarban area against the 10 covered by another programme
now.
"As summer approaches, the demand for power goes up and we
have to really work hard to meet ends meet. As of now the installed
capacity under various renewable energy projects in the region is
five mega watt. We will have to take it up to 15 mega watt to cover
all the islands," he said.
The three-year scheme would receive central and state funds in the
60-40 ratio, he added.
Currently, Webreda supplies renewable energy to 10 islands covering
35,000 families (a lakh of people), who get power enough for lights,
fans, television and pumping drinking water.
It covers thickly populated islands like Gosaba, Choto Mollakahli,
Sagar, Patharpratima, Rakhalpur, Mousuni and Herambagopalpur in
the South 24 Parganas district.
A four mega watt tidal power plant has been installed at Gosaba.
With the completion of the project, the remaining 50,000 families
(a population of over three lakh) would be covered, Gon Chaudhuri
added.
"This will be the biggest ever renewables project. Earlier,
smaller but successful experiments have been taken up in J&K's
Leh area, some north eastern states as well as the Chattisgarh forest
area based on the Sundarban model", he said.
Bureau Report
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