Tripura News Briefcase

Tripura Scales Solar Power Tenfold Under BJP Rule: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi Praises Milestone

• By ENEWSTIME Desk/PIB, Agartala
• Dec 29, 2024
• 262

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi, who also holds the New and Renewable Energy portfolio, lauded initiatives of the Tripura government in the New and Renewable Energy sector, saying that the state has made good progress in this sector.

Before 2018, a total of 2.5 MW of electricity was generated through solar energy, but in the last 6.5 years, the BJP-led government in Tripura has increased the generation 10 times to more than 20.5 MW now, the Union Minister pointed out.

The Union Minister, who during his two-day (December 28-29) visit to Tripura visited Charilam village on Sunday to oversee a centrally sponsored renewable energy project taken up by the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) for the farmers and also reviewed the implementation of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) schemes.

During the review of MNRE activities in the area, the Minister said 27 SPV Pumps covering 54 acres of land under PM- KUSUM Scheme (Component B) and 35 LED based SPV Street Lighting Systems under MNRE Scheme have been installed.

He added that these initiatives have led to the successful implementation of double cropping, resulting in double income for the farmers.

Achievements in Renewable energy sector

Referring to the achievements in Renewable energy sector, the Minister said India has reached a significant milestone, with the country's total renewable energy capacity reaching 214 GW. India is on-track to achieve 500 GW capacity by 2030 with initiatives like National Green Hydrogen Mission, PM-KUSUM PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, and PLI schemes for solar PV modules.

Minister Joshi also urged to undertake initiatives to spread public awareness about PM Surya Ghar Yojana. He said the electricity tariff for domestic consumers in Tripura is around Rs. 5 per unit for usage above 200 units. With the MNRE subsidy and a concessional loan at 7%, consumers can start saving money immediately.

The cost of power purchase for Tripura DISCOM exceeds Rs. 5 per unit, as most of the power comes from gas-based plants. Installing solar power will reduce reliance on this high-cost energy and also help meet the RPO.

(Tripura, Northeast)