Raipur, February 19 Chhattisgarh's total installed power capacity stands at more than 30,600 MW, and the number of electricity consumers has exceeded 6.5 million, a senior official said on Thursday.
Secretary of Chhattisgarh government's department of energy, Dr Rohit Yadav, gave this information while addressing a press conference here.
"Significant progress has been made in the areas of energy production, transmission, and distribution in the state, and that work is rapidly underway on a comprehensive action plan for the coming years," he said.
"The total installed power capacity of the state, including that from the Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company (CSPGC), the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and private producers, currently stands at 30,671.7 MW. This includes 28,824 MW of thermal power, 220 MW of hydropower, and 2,047 MW of capacity from solar and biomass sources," he said.
In the thermal power sector, CSPGC has a capacity of 2,840 MW, NTPC and privately owned power plants have a capacity of 20,299 MW, and captive power plants have a capacity of 5,266 MW.
The central government aims to reduce carbon emissions by reducing dependence on thermal power, Yadav said.
"Under the net zero carbon target, the goal is to develop 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, so that 50 per cent of the country's energy needs can be met from renewable sources," he added.
The state government has implemented a policy to promote pumped storage-based hydropower projects. Under this policy, CSPGC has identified six sites with a capacity of 8,300 MW, of which five have feasibility reports and DPRs (detailed project reports) are under development, he said, adding that work was also underway on projects with a capacity of approximately 5,000 MW in the private sector.
"In order to make the state the energy capital of the country, MoUs have been signed with various institutions to set up new projects with a capacity of 32,100 MW. These projects include 12,100 MW thermal power, 4,200 MW nuclear, 2,500 MW floating solar, and 13,300 MW pumped storage capacity. These projects have paved the way for investments worth approximately Rs 3.4 lakh crore, with several major institutions participating," he said.
Yadav stated that work is underway to install two supercritical units of 660 MW each in Korba West and an 800 MW unit in Madwa by the CSPGC.
"The number of consumers in the state has exceeded 6.5 million. Thousands of kilometers of new power lines, substations, and transformers have been installed in the past two years," he said.
Under the Niyyad Nella Nar scheme, electricity has been provided to hundreds of villages in Naxal-affected areas, Yadav said.