Cabinet approves Phase-II of Green Energy Corridor for evacuation of 20 GW RE

• The Phase-II of Green Energy Corridor is targeted to be set up with a total estimated cost of Rs 12,031.33 crore 
• The transmission systems will be created over a period of five years from Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Phase-II of Green Energy Corridor (GEC) for Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS), which would see the addition of approximately 10,750 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines and approximately 27,500 Mega Volt-Amperes (MVA) transformation capacity of substations. "The scheme will facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) power projects in seven states namely, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh," said an official statement on Thursday.

Green Energy Corridor Phase-II: Estimated cost at Rs 12,031 cr

The Phase-II of Green Energy Corridor is targeted to be set up with a total estimated cost of Rs 12,031.33 crore and at Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of 33 percent of the project cost, ie Rs 3,970.34 crore. The transmission systems will be created over a period of five years from Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26. 

"The Central Financial Assistance (CFA) will help in offsetting the Intra-State transmission charges and thus keep the power costs down. Thus, the Government support will ultimately benefit the end users — the citizens of India," said the statement.

The scheme will help in achieving the target of 450 GW installed RE capacity by 2030.

'Green Energy Corridor will reduce carbon footprint'

The scheme will also contribute to long-term energy security of the country and promote ecologically sustainable growth by reducing carbon footprint. It will generate large direct and indirect employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled personnel in power and other related sectors, said the government.

This scheme is in addition to GEC-Phase-I which is already under implementation in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu for grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 24 GW of RE power and is expected to be completed by 2022. The scheme is for addition of 9,700 ckm of transmission lines and 22,600 MVA capacity of substations at an estimated cost of Rs 10,141.68 crore with Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of Rs 4,056.67 crore.

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