Word of Gujarat’s geothermal intentions became public this weekend in articles appearing in The Economic Times of India and on the IndianExpress.com web site.
The articles quote Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who said the state government was in the process of drafting a new policy for geo-thermal, although he stopped short of providing any details.
Modi’s comments were delivered at an India Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) conclave.
In the same reports Modi went on to say he wants to make Gujarat a world capital in Solar energy and other renewable energy sectors.
“Gujarat had initiated white (milk) revolution, then there was green revolution and now we would lead the saffron revolution through the power sector,” he said.
Gujarat was the first state in India to form an innovation commission, and it is now in the process of setting up an incubation centre to foster public private partnerships. Modi said the state will not rely on subsidies to promote the growth of the renewable sector, but rather will strive to provide a development-friendly business environment.
Modi also used the discussion of renewable energy to attack Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for ignoring his suggestion that India should take lead in the solar energy sector.
“I had written to the Prime Minister some four or five years ago that our country should take the lead in solar power sector by launching a movement on the concept of Sun-Son, but there has been no reply from the PM so far,” Modi, said.
"I had suggested that like some Asia Pacific countries who have formed small groups for research and development in solar energy, we should also take lead and form such groups in India to create a movement," he said.
The “Sun-Son” concept mentioned by Modi was based on the idea of collaboration by all the countries having plenty of sunlight to create a research and development fund to exploit solar energy and starting of a capital subsidy scheme for generation of solar energy.
Gujarat set a policy in January 2009 for developing solar energy. The state has since awarded 716 MW in solar projects to companies, according to the website of the Gujarat Energy Development Agency.
For additional information:
Gujarat Energy Development Agency
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