A high-level committee constituted by the Union power ministry has prepared a comprehensive plan for building a nationwide transmission system designed to evacuate 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030.
The detailed plan called “Transmission System for Integration of over 500 GW RE Capacity by 2030″ has been prepared in consultation with state governments and other stakeholders.
This plan is a major step towards achievement of the goal of integrating 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based power generation capacity by 2030. The plan also outlines the requirements for the subsequent target of 537 GW by 2030.
The planned additional transmission systems required for having 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity is estimated to cost Rs.2.44 lakh crore, and includes:
- 800kV and 350kV HVDC corridors: 8,120 ckm
- 765kV AC lines: 25,960 ckm
- 400kV AC lines: 15,758 ckm
- 220kV cables: 1,052 ckm
The transmission plan also includes transmission system required for evacuation of 10 GW offshore wind located in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu at an estimated cost of Rs.28,000 crore.
With the planned transmission system, the inter-regional capacity will increase to about 1.50 lakh MW by 2030 from 1.12 lakh MW at present.
BESS capacity
Considering the availability of RE-based generation for a limited period during day, the Plan also envisages installation of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Capacity of the order of 51.5 GW by 2030 to provide round-the-clock (RTC) power to end-consumers.
Major RE centres
The Plan has identified major upcoming non-fossil fuel based generation centres in the country, which include Fatehgarh, Bhadla, Bikaner in Rajasthan, Khavda in Gujarat, Anantapur, Kurnool RE Zones in Andhra Pradesh, offshore wind potential in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, RE park in Ladakh etc. The proposed transmission systems have been planned on the basis of these potential generation centres.
Visibility to TSPs
The planned transmission system projected will provide a visibility to renewable energy developers about the potential generation sites and scale of investment opportunity. Further, it will also provide the transmission service providers (TSPs) the vision of growth opportunity available in the transmission sector along with investment opportunity of about Rs.2.44 lakh crore.
Fastest growing RE destination
With the above transmission plan for having 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, along with transparent bidding system, an open market, an expeditious dispute resolution system, India will continue to be one of the most attractive destinations for investment in renewable energy, a government release said.
India has emerged as one of the world leaders in energy transition with the fastest rate of growth of renewable energy capacities in the world. India has huge ambitions in energy transition and plans to have 500 GW of non-fossil fuel based electricity installed capacity by 2030, so that cleaner fuel comprises of 50 per cent of the installed capacity mix by 2030.
The installed electricity generating capacity in the country at present is 409 GW comprising of 173 GW from non-fossil fuel sources, which is about 42 per cent of the total installed electricity generating capacity.
Also read: NTPC Group’s Renewable Energy Capacity Breaches 2-GW Mark
High-level committee
The high-level committee that has presented this transmission system plan was constituted by the Union power ministry and was under the chairmanship of Chairperson, Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The committee has representatives from Solar Energy Corporation of India, Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, National Institute of Solar Energy, and National Institute of Wind Energy.
