Power Grid To Set Up Charging Stations For Electric Vehicles With NTPC
With the government’s push for electric vehicles, state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. is planning to set up charging stations with NTPC this year.
The company has a planned capacity expansion of Rs 25,000 crore for this financial year and has already invested Rs 10,000 crore as of mid-September. “We are very sure we will achieve this target,” IS Jha, managing director of Power Grid told BloombergQuint.
Here are edited excerpts from the conversation:
India’s power sector has moved from a deficit to a surplus. What is Power Grid’s role in this?
Power Grid’s role is to transfer the power. Demand has not grown so fast but lot of work is going on. The government has launched Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana. With this, demand will rise. In this situation, transmission has a major role, to transport the power from surplus to deficit areas.
How do you see the power industry in the country panning out and what’s going to be the focus area?
Focus is on government’s programme to have renewable energy 175 GW by 2022. Today, we have 58 GW. The greater challenge is how to integrate renewables into the grid. Second focus area is 24X7 and affordable power which the consumer can sustain.
How are you positioned to win new transmission orders in the renewable energy space?
We are developing Green Energy Corridor 1 and 2. The cost of the project is Rs 20,000 crore. Future transmission system might come under tariff-based competitive bidding, where Power Grid is completely ready to participate. It is already in an advanced stage. One part is already completed and it will be commissioned by December this year. Green Energy Corridor 1 will be commissioned by December.
How is the performance of Champa-Kurukshetra panning out?
Champa Kurukshetra’s first pole of 1500 MW has been commissioned last year. The second pole of 1500 MW is going to be commissioned this month. We will commission additional 3000 MW power next year.
Source: bloombergquint
