BHUBANESWAR: The Centre aims to develop Odisha as a major hub for renewable energy and explore the scope of green hydrogen production in the state, said Union minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Friday.
Speaking at the valedictory session of the two-day Chintan Shivir of the ministry here, Joshi said Odisha has immense renewable energy potential with 140 GW of solar capacity and significant opportunities in green hydrogen.
The potential for floating solar panels in Odisha will also be explored, he said while highlighting that a solar modules, solar cells and ingot-wafer manufacturing unit of 6,000 MW capacity is being set up in Dhenkanal district with investment of around Rs 9,000 crore.
Joshi said that another company is also setting up a 1,000 MW manufacturing capacity for production of solar modules and cells at Infovalley-II in Bhubaneswar with investment of around Rs 730 crore.
The minister said a dedicated taskforce will be set up to achieve the goal of 500 gigawatt (GW) at an investment of around Rs 42 lakh crore by 2030. He also announced that a new joint centre of excellence for R&D will be established in collaboration with the Ministry of Power to foster innovation and technological advancements in the RE sector.
He called for the early finalisation of power purchase agreements (PPAs) and strict enforcement of renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) to ensure the success of renewable energy projects. The PM Surya Ghar Yojana will achieve over 5 lakh installations by the end of November 2024, he said.
Deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said that the state government will stand with the Union government in meeting the ‘Panchamrit’ targets set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.