Latest news with #GEC-III
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Gujarat to fortify green energy grid with Rs 29k cr investment
Ahmedabad: With renewable energy now accounting for 58% of Gujarat's installed power capacity — well above the national average of 47% — the state govt is pushing ahead with a major expansion of its transmission and distribution infrastructure. As part of its long-term strategy to support this green shift, Gujarat will invest Rs 29,000 crore to develop the third Green Energy Corridor (GEC-III), aimed at transmitting 16,500MW of renewable power from across the state. The transmission upgrade is designed to keep pace with both rising capacity and the evolving mix, which is increasingly dominated by solar and wind. The GEC-III will enable connectivity between new renewable energy zones in Kutch, Jamnagar-Bet Dwarka, Banaskantha-Patan, and parts of central Gujarat, according to sources. It will involve building 3,430 circuit kilometres of lines through six 765kV substations and an additional 860 circuit kilometres through four 400kV substations. Four statcoms will be installed to maintain power quality across the network. Officials said the GEC projects are central to Gujarat's goal of developing a "foolproof" grid that ensures the smooth integration of intermittent renewable sources into the state's energy backbone. The corridors are designed to feed clean energy into industrial belts and urban load centres while supporting the broader ambition of energy security and grid stability. The Rs 29,000 crore investment comes alongside two earlier corridor projects: GEC-I, a Rs 1,932 crore project targeting 4,000MW, and GEC-II, worth Rs 3,636 crore, which is slated for completion by March 2027. The state's push is backed by a broader plan to modernise the grid through capital-intensive upgrades and adoption of advanced technologies. Parallel to transmission development, Gujarat is strengthening its distribution network under the revamped distribution sector scheme (RDSS), with initiatives such as underground cabling, loss reduction and digital transformation to ensure reliable, affordable and high-quality power across sectors. Gujarat already leads the country in rooftop solar adoption, with 5.3GW installed across over 9.6 lakh households. It also ranks first in wind power and second in solar energy. The state's resource adequacy plan targets 42GW of renewable capacity by 2035, supported by favourable policy frameworks and private sector interest. With the green energy corridors forming the arteries of this transition, Gujarat's energy roadmap reflects a focused attempt to combine sustainability, investment, and innovation in pursuit of a resilient power ecosystem.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Power Minister urges Karnataka to roll out smart meters, reduce financial losses
Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday urged the Karnataka government to take steps to reduce annual financial losses of its power utilities and work towards implementing cost-reflective tariffs. He also suggested that pre-paid smart meters be saturated across all government establishments, including local bodies and colonies, by August 2025 in the State. He conducted a comprehensive review of the power sector of the State, including the current status of power generation, transmission, and distribution. The Minister also highlighted the importance of the timely clearance of financial dues from government departments. The non-clearance of power dues by government departments was one of the main reasons why Karnataka could not roll out smart meters under the Centre's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. Mr. Khattar stressed the need for a centralised payment mechanism for efficient management of government electricity dues. He also advised early resolution of the right of way (RoW) issues impeding transmission infrastructure and called for the adoption of the compensation mechanism issued by the Government of India. RoW refers to the strip of land required by a utility for constructing, maintaining, and protecting the transmission lines. The Minister was in Bengaluru for the Regional Conference for the Southern Region States/Union Territories (UT), which was attended by the Energy/Electricity Ministers of the States and Puducherry. 'The States should leverage the scheme announced in Union Budget 2025-26, including the scheme of ₹1.5 lakh crore interest-free loan to States for 50 years for infrastructure development,' the Union Minister said. He also urged all States to submit proposals for the third phase of the Green Energy Corridor (GEC-III) and remarked that they should promote renewable energy coupled with storage solutions so as to have energy reliability and to collectively meet India's international climate commitments under the UNFCCC.
