The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 12,000 crore for Inter-State Transmission System (InSTS) “Green Energy Corridor” (GEC-II).
The goal of the Green Energy Corridor (GEC) project is to supply electricity generated from renewable sources of energy (such as solar and wind power) to conventional power stations on the grid.
It aims to use renewable energy on a large scale by setting up transmission lines and sub-stations and improving the grid in the states involved in the project.
The GEC-II will help supply 20 GW (GW) of renewable energy (RE) to the national grid from Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
GEC-I is being implemented in 8 states (7 states mentioned above and Madhya Pradesh). This will help in supplying about 24 GW of renewable energy by the year 2022.
Project Significance:
This will help in achieving the target of installed capacity of 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030.
This will aid in long term energy security. At the same time, it will promote ecologically sustainable development by reducing the carbon footprint.
The project will create opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers in power and other related sectors.
If there is an intermittent supply of electricity to the national grid from renewable energy sources, it will pose no threat to the grid.
Recently, India has achieved a significant milestone of 40% installed capacity of renewable energy (157.32 GW out of 392.01 GW). It is noteworthy that India had committed to achieve this target by 2030 during the COP-21 held in Paris.
Source – The Hindu
