As many as 3,604 bio-gas plants have come up in the insurgency infested Kanker district in Bastar during the past 14 years, officials informed. The plants have been established under the National Bio Gas and Manure Management Programme. The bio gas plants not only work as fuel for cooking, the units also illuminate homes at night.
Women and children in the villages now no longer go to the forest in search of fuel wood. The move had also helped reduce pollution, they stated Meanwhile, as per 2013-14 Annual Report of the Union Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Chhattisgarh commissioned Biomass Power and Bagasse Co-Generation projects with a cumulative capacity of 264.90 MW last year.
The Biomass Power and Bagasse Co-Generation Programme aims at efficient utilization of biomass such as agro residue in the form of stalks, stems and straw; agro-industrial residues such as shells, husks, deoiled cakes and wood from dedicated energy plantations for power generation, it stated The potential for power generation from agricultural and agro-industrial residues in the country is estimated at about 17,000 MW, it stated.
With progressive higher steam temperature, pressure and efficient project configuration in new sugar mills and modernization of existing ones, the potential of surplus power generation through bagasse co-generation of sugar mills is estimated at 5,000 MW, the report stated. The potential for bagasse co-generation lies mainly in the nine sugar producing states with a maximum potential of about 1,250 MW each in the states of Maharashatra and Uttar Pradesh. Thus the total estimated biomass power potential in the country is 22,000 MW, it stated.
The programme was launched with the objective of promoting, efficient and economic use of surplus biomass for power generation besides maximizing surplus power generation from sugar mills using improves technologies.
This apart, the programme had also been launched for promoting technologies of co-generation and biomass combustion for supplementing conventional power, it stated. The biomass programme comprises the components of power generation in grid-connected mode and co-generation in sugar mills for export of surplus power to grid.
The Central government, as per the report, has set a target of 1900 MW ( 1400 MW Bagasse Co-Generation besides 500 MW Biomass Power ) for the 12th five year plan against an allocation of Rs 310 crore.
The State-wise cumulative capacity of commissioned Biomass Power and Bagasse Co-generation projects during 2013-14 as per the report was as follows–Andhra Pradesh (Before bifurcation) (380.75 MW), Bihar (43.42 MW), Chhattisgarh (264.90 MW), Gujarat (43.90 MW), Haryana (45.30 MW), Karnataka (603.28), Madhya Pradesh (26 MW), Maharashtra (940.40), Odisha (20 MW),Punjab (140.50 MW), Rajasthan (101.30), Tamil Nadu (571.30) , Uttarakhand (30 MW), Uttar Pradesh (776.50 MW) and West Bengal (26 MW).
The report further stated that as many as 568 remote villages in Chhattisgarh out of the sanctioned 682 were electrified under Central Government’s ‘Remote Village Electrification Programme’ as on March 31, 2014, according to the annual report 2013-14 of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The ‘Remote Village Electrification Programme’ is under implementation across the country for providing financial support for lighting/basic electricity using renewable energy sources in those unelectrified remote census villages, unelectrified hamlets of electrified census villages where grid connectivity is either not feasible or not cost effective and not covered under Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) for grid electrification.
Although a variety of renewable energy technologies are possible for lighting/basic electrification of remote villages including small hydro, biomass and solar energy, yet, solar PV lighting remains the most preferred, it stated.
The decision to use a particular technology is taken by the state implementing agencies after examination of the technical feasibility and resource availability. Notably, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy provides Central Financial Assistance upto 90 per cent of the cost of the renewable energy systems subject to pre specified maximum amount for each technology.
The cumulative sanctions of the villages and hamlets under the programme since its inception had reached 13,059. The main states where the programme has greater relevance due to difficulty to access areas are Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and North Eastern states, the report stated. A special priority is provided to villages affected by left Wing Extremism in line with the policy of the Central government, it stated.
The identification of the remote villages/villages had been broadly entrusted to the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC). The state governments shortlist unelectrified villages/hamlets in their states which are not likely to be electrified through grid and send their names to the Ministry for verification by the REC for non coverage under RGGVY for grid electrification.
Overall, more than 97 per cent villages of Chhattisgarh have been electrified so far. As many as 12 districts of the State have been completely electrified while more than half of the districts are about to be declared completely electrified, officials here stated.
97.39 per cent villages have been electrified while initiatives have been taken to provide electricity in the remaining 2.61 per cent villages through conventional means and non-conventional sources. Senior officers are monitoring and reviewing the execution and progress of these schemes on daily basis.
There are 19,567 habitated villages in the State out of which 19,057 have been electrified. The CSPDCl is providing electricity to 18,208 villages through conventional sources and 39 villages through non-conventional sources.
The Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) has also played a significant role in providing electricity in 810 villages through Non-conventional sources, officials here stated. The company has set records by supplying electricity in the far flung villages and settlements of the State. The company has taken effective steps to remove the hurdles in the way of achieving the target of 100 per cent electrification of villages.
As long as 1.36 lakh kilometre increase has been registered in the power supply lines of different capacity during the last 11 years in Chhattisgarh, officials informed. Since the formation of the State, about 1.50 lakh kilometre extension has so far been made in different capacity power lines in the State, they stated.
With the addition of these lines, the total length of power lines in the State has reached to 2,54,721 kms. Out of this, 1,54,311-km is of low Tension (lT) and 83,311-km 11 kV capacity line and 17,384 km 33 kV capacity lines. At the time of formation of the State, the total capacity of power lines was 1,04,858 km.