Sunday, March 20, 2011

Initiatives of India to harness Tidal Energy

                    India is making all efforts to take advantage and harness its Renewable Energy Resources. As it has sea along three of its sides so is enriched with abundant Tidal Energy Resource. In addition to Solar Energy, India is blessed with abundant Tidal Energy Resource. India has seperate Ministry for development of Renewable Energy i.e  MNRE ' Ministry of New and Renewable Energy '. As per MNRE, a study was undertaken for the assessment of tidal energy potential in the country; and from the study it is noticed that there is an estimated potential of tidal energy of the order of 8000 MW in the country. This includes about 7000 MW in the Gulf of Cambay and 1200 MW in the Gulf of Kutch in the State of Gujarat and about 100 MW in the Gangetic Delta in the Sunderbans region in the State of West Bengal.
                     A demonstration project is sanctioned by MNRE for setting 3.75 MW capacity tidal energy power plant at the Durgaduani Creek in Sunderbans region to West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA), Kolkatta. The project is being executed by NHPC Ltd.

                      Gujarat state which is located at coastal area starts to pay special attention to the potential of Tidal energy and to generate electricity from tidal energy. The State Government of Gujarat formed a Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) with public private partnership and sponsored a study for large scale exploitation of tidal energy across the coastline of Gujarat. One MoU has been signed by M/s. Atlantis Resource Corporation (U.K.) and Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd., Govt. of Gujarat, for commissioning of 50 MW Tidal Power Project in the state. 

                      The Government is supporting the State Government for projects  on tidal energy. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy considers providing financial incentives upto 50% of the cost to the State Government implementing Agencies for the development of tidal energy projects on cost sharing basis as technology demonstration projects in accordance with its R&D policy guidelines.

Source:- Press Release of MNRE 

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