India - Government Announces 50 per cent subsidy for EfW projects (June 20, 2005)
In New Delhi, India on June 16, the Government announced that a 50 per cent subsidy will be given to energy projects utilising municipal solid waste immediately after disbursement of the first loan instalment as contribution towards equity.
WebIndia123 reports that Minister of State for Non-Conventional Energy Sources Villas Muttemwar said, ''This is for the first time that subsidy is being used for reducing equity burden of the investor, and this will help the cause of larger public good as the disposal of municipal solid waste remains a major problem in every city, here”.
Inaugurating the one-day national level brainstorming session on 'Mainstreaming of Renewable Energy in the Country and Attaining Global Leadership' at the Vigyan Bhavan, he also announced a plan to prioritise the deployment of renewable energy devices in the country to supplement and eventually replace fossil fuels -- liquid, gaseous and coal in that order.
He informed that the top priority is to focus on market penetration of alternate fuel systems and devices for stationery, portable and transport applications followed by augmenting rural energy needs through bio-energy route.
Deployment of new and renewable energy systems and devices of industrial, commercial and urban applications has also been identified as a priority area and the final priority is grid interactive renewable electricity, which is essentially replacement of coal.
To convert the country from net importer to net exporter of renewable energy products and services, Mr Muttemwar has set an outer time limit of year 2022.
To achieve this, he said efforts would be made in concert with corporates and scientific and technical institutions in order to make the domestic new renewable energy industry globally competitive.
The Bureau of Indian Standards would be assisted in reviewing and updating existing standards as also to develop and notify standards for new and renewable energy systems and devices for which standards have not yet been laid at par or even higher than international levels. Guidelines for product specifications and performance parameters will be developed and institutionalised.
The Minister also announced that 25,000 remote villages, which were not likely to be connected to electricity grid, would be provided grid quality electricity by 2009 through renewable energy sources.
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