By Business India Editorial

With its energy demand expected to go up, Tamil Nadu is banking high on renewable and green energy with an allocation of Rs14,000 crore in the budget estimates towards various subsidies in power sector.

Plans are in place to make the contribution of green energy to the state’s grid to 50 per cent by 2030.

The state has touched a new high in power consumption this year — nearly 18,000 mega watt (MW) — and will be in need of a 20,000 MW in the coming years.

With the objective of fulfilling the increasing demand for power, the government plans to double the installed capacity for power generation by adding 33,000 MW by 2030.

However, the doubling of the power generation capacity is to be carried out through renewable energy sources. An allocation of Rs14,063 crore has been provided in the Budget Estimates towards various subsidies for Tangedco including free power for agricultural connections and 100 units free for domestic consumers. 

Though the present contribution of green energy to Tamil Nadu grid remains at a healthy rate of 20.88 per cent, it is proposed to be increased to 50 per cent by 2030 through additional capacity creation.

In the green capacity addition of transforming the state into a green power house the proportion of solar energy to be tapped to potential of 20 giga watt (GW), onshore wind energy of 70 GW and offshore wind energy of 30 GW. 

For reaching the 70 GW of wind energy the state government would come out with a new policy on re-powering the windmills. 

With Tamil Nadu taking steps to speed up the ongoing thermal power projects of 4,100 MW and the 500 MW pumped hydroelectric storage project being constructed at Kundah to become operational by 2024-25, the state proposes to establish 15 new projects under the Private-Public Partnership (PPP) mode for a total capacity of 14,500 MW at an estimated cost of Rs77,000 crore by 2030.