To promote setting up of renewable energy power projects in Punjab, the State Government on Tuesday gave its nod to exempt these projects from Change of land Use (ClU) and External Development (ED) charges in accordance with the State New and Renewable Sources of Energy (NRSE) Policy, 2012.
Besides, the solar power projects, up to any capacity, have also been exempted from obtaining any no objection certificate (NOC) from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The approval was given by the state Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal while reviewing the ongoing power projects with Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka, Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and senior officers.
He asked the housing and urban development department to immediately issue a notification to exempt solar energy projects being developed by the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) under built, operate and own (BOO) basis from ClU and EDC charges. “29 sites have already been identified for this purpose and PEDA has recently handed over approval letters for 250 mega watt solar power projects with investment of Rs 2,500-3,000 crore,” he said.
Sukhbir said that various power projects having capacity of 250 MW would be commissioned by January 31, 2015, as implementation agreement and power purchase agreements have already been signed for all the projects. Deliberating upon state gram panchayats’ land lease policy, Sukhbir directed that rural land price fixation committee headed by concerned Deputy Commissioner would fix lease rates keeping in view nature of land and prevailing contract prices of concerned agricultural or barren land.
It was also decided in the meeting to levy additional six per cent yearly compounding charges from the projects owners to recompense spiraling prices of land. For the same, Sukhbir asked the Rural Development Department to move a case in the next cabinet meet for levying yearly charges from the entrepreneurs.
To attract business houses for investment and give impetus for setting up of renewable energy power projects, the Deputy Chief Minister also authorised Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (PBIP) to sanction early clearances for such energy power projects in the State.