Odisha’s Renewable Energy Policy 2022, Explained!

The Odisha government recently introduced its Renewable Energy Policy 2022. The policy aims to decarbonize the energy sector in a state. The state is one of the leading coal producers in the country. The policy focuses on the increasing use of renewable energy by encouraging industries to increase renewable energy production by 2030.

Read more: Odisha Renewable Energy Policy, 2022

OBJECTIVES

• The state of Odisha currently has 627 MW of installed capacity of renewable energy and the policy aims to increase this to 10,000 MW by the end of the decade.
• The policy plans to attract investments in the clean energy sector, with a major focus on floating solar, wind energy, green ammonia, and green hydrogen.
• There is a provision for the energy transition in the policy that focuses on the welfare of people involved in the coal mining sector as it shall soon be replaced by renewable energy.
• The policy offers several financial benefits for those opting for clean energy.
• Green hydrogen/ green ammonia hubs to meet the demand of fertilizer, petrochemical, and steel industries.

  Read more: Odisha renewable energy policy, 2022 - India Environment Portal

INCENTIVES

A big hurdle is the allocation of land when it comes to renewable energy. Odisha’s policy tackles this problem by getting government land earmarked under the “Land Bank” Scheme on a priority basis. There is a provision to convert the acquired land into a non-agricultural status to avoid overhead charges as per the local Land Reforms Act.

Financial incentives include a 50 paise per unit electricity duty exemption for renewable energy consumers, both captive or open access.

The government of Odisha has also exempted stamp duty on the lease/purchase of land for projects involving renewable energy.

There is a provision for a 50% exemption on cross-subsidy surcharge for open-access consumers of clean energy and a 25% exemption in wheeling charges for both captive and open-access consumers.

There will be an exemption of clearance from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) unless the project involves biomass, hydro energy, or waste-to-energy projects.

Read more: Conference: Renewable Energy in Odisha - A Policy Dialogue

CONCLUSION

The demand for renewable energy is at an all-time high from discoms (distribution companies) and other industries because of the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) and Net Zero Commitments. States like Odisha, which are considered to have less renewable energy potential by the central government have not been able to benefit from national-level renewable energy policies. This policy aims at harnessing Odisha’s potential in this sector by developing commercially viable projects.

With a pro-active approach and no dearth of incentives for stakeholders, the renewable energy sector in Odisha is bound to flourish, given there is effective implementation on part of the government.

Also, Read

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• What is the Climate Budget that has been introduced in Odisha?
• Fire ants attacked a village in Odisha, forcing villagers to flee
• How Odisha is encouraging hockey?

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