Centre to set up first geothermal power project in Ladakh

As part of promoting non-conventional energy, the government is setting up its first geothermal power project in Ladakh, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said today.

"We are working on that.Our first project on geothermal with a capacity of 3MW is coming up near Ladakh," Abdullah told reporters here.

Noting that it was one of the major geothermal-based projects in the world, he said the Ministry will look at how such projects can be extended to other States.

On the use of Ethanol based fuel, he said the Ministry was looking at how five per cent of ethanol can be added. "You should know Brazil has allowed 55 per cent. Even here some developers are ready to offer 20 per cent (to the government for the use of Ethanol)", he said.

To a query on dumping of low quality products from China, the Minister said his Ministry was already working with the Commerce Ministry on how it can be avoided."...I have asked the Ministry to have a check on it", he said.

"Quality control must be essential", he said.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Joint Secretary Tarun Kapoor said the Ministry was looking at the supply of products from China to India, which have comparatively low manufacturing cost.

Earlier, Farooq Abdullah formally launched the Solar Radiation Resource Assessment facility, which was set up at a cost of Rs 25 crore by Centre for Wind Energy Technology here.

Commenting on the SRRA facility, Abdullah said many solar developers were not sure on where to get solar data available. Through this facility, a developer can get the data and set up a project at a location where there is more solar radiation.

"This facility put up by C-WET will help us find where the solar radiation is available, the speed of the wind and humidity of that area...," he said. (MORE) PTI VIJ BN MVV 11281539 NNNN

GEOTHERMAL 2 LAST(MES9) ZCZC PRI SRG .CHENNA SRG23 GEOTHERMAL 2 LAST(MES9)

Strongly pitching for use of new and renewable energy, Abdullah said, "we want to get out of fossil fuels.We are importing about 80 per cent.. whether it is oil or whether it is coal."

"Now we gradually want to get out of that process and getting into what God has given to us and utilise that energy.Here you are in a State which is facing extreme shortage of power and how can you get rid of this shortage.."

"The quickest method is by solar power and wind power. You (Tamil Nadu) have done very well. But there are certain constraints," he said.

The constraints are despite having wind mills they are not able to transmit power because the lines are absent. Besides, the grid is not powerful enough to take that power.

"So we have to move in that direction... the States have to talk to the Centre and the Centre should talk to States that we will give them some assistance so that they (States) could have better transmission lines", he said.

"Unless we work together, we will never achieve that. We will be free of this power breakdowns or shortage of power when we work together," he said.

Observing that some surplus energy is being exported to other States, he said power is already being supplied to Bangladesh from Tripura.

Now the power going to be generated through hydro energy in Arunachal Pradesh -- "huge power stations are coming up"-- would also enable power to be supplied to other States also. "That is what we are trying to achieve".

Referring to the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission which aims to add 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022, he said the reason why information of local content (like humidity and wind speed) was mentioned in the scheme was to help developers make use of the data and set up projects.

"You do not realise what god has given in your hands (in the form of solar and wind power). That is why local content has been put. We want the industry to improve..", he said.