Renewable Energy (RE) power generation projects have so far emerged very promising; facts speak that such projects can play a significant role in energy security of the nation; Small Hydro Power (SHP) projects are no less vital.
The Government of India classifies all hydro power projects into two major categories, i.e., the small and the large, hydro power projects. Projects with less than or equal to 25 MW installed plant capacity have been classified as the ‘Small Hydro Power (SHP)’ projects, whereas projects with higher capacity fall into the large hydro power segment. Further, the Government has vested the administration of all the small and the large hydro power projects to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Ministry of Power (MoP), respectively.
Small Hydro Power (SHP) projects are further classified as Micro hydro, Mini hydro and the Small hydro. The Micro hydro class accommodates projects upto 100 KW station capacity, Mini hydro from 101 KW to 2000 KW and Small hydro from 2001 KW to 2500 KW station capacity. SHP projects are commercially viable; the techno-economic viability is directly proportional to the size of the projects.
SHP projects are expected to lead RE revolution in remote and inaccessible areas of the country. Grid interactive and decentralized Small Hydro systems record presence on MNRE’s list of priorities, both, for public as well as for private domain; magnitude of SHP system utility can be paramount in the energy deficient regions of India.
MNRE has projected the total estimated potential of SHP projects in India to be around 20,000 MW; Himalayan states account for the major stake from their river based hydro projects, for other states hydro power potential goes in direct association with the availability of their irrigation canals. The Ministry has so far identified 6,474 potential sites aggregating to 19,749.44 MW of SHP capacity; a database of the same is available with the agency.
The Ministry aims to promote the development of 7000 MW of competitively priced SHP projects in the country by the closure of the 12th Five Year Plan; the agency targets to achieve at least 50% of the total estimated capacity projections in the span of next 10 years.
The Small Hydro Power (SHP) programme is a clear indication of the long term intentions of the Government – its level of seriousness in the matter; inclusion of SHP in MNRE’s thrust areas further strengthen the ambitious perspective of the Government. The Small Hydro Power programme is currently driven by active participation and investment from the private sector.
The core of Small Hydro Power programme, besides other critical objectives, will primarily endeavour to increase SHP system efficiency (overall reliability), promote product quality, cut-down equipment costs, and boost up capacity utilization through prudent selection of prospective project sites.
The ‘Renewable Energy Project Transaction Portal (RE-PORT)’ is an exclusive and the first of its kind, IT driven dedicated online Renewable Energy Project transaction platform that primarily bridges the existing gap between the sellers and buyers of Renewable Energy projects including Small Hydro Power (SHP), facilitating fair trade propagation among the concerned stakeholders. The portal hosts, only the most genuine SHP projects duly vetted by Consolidated Energy Consultants Limited (CECL) - a well known name in the RE sector, ensuring maximum transparency among sellers and buyers of such projects.
RE-PORT does not rank projects; it only indicates the individual progress/completion status of a particular project component (e.g., RA, NOCs, etc.). RE-PORT services are powered by Consolidated Energy Consultants Limited, a premier organization operating in the Renewable Energy sector. Only duly vetted SHP projects are hosted over RE-PORT.
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Source: mnre.gov.in