Greenpeace cites govt draft on power, demands scrapping of new

19 December 2016

Greenpeace has demanded new coal power projects which have received government’s nod but where construction has not yet started must be scrapped as the draft National Electricity Plan foresees no need of new coal power plants until 2027.

In a press statement Greenpeace said, “The National Electricity Plan 2016 (made public recently) remains silent on the coal capacity in pipeline of about 178 GW. These are projects that have yet to start construction but have received permits or are in the process of applying for permits.

“These projects represent a potential stranded investment of Rs 10 lakh crores and must not be allowed to progress.”

The draft National Electricity Plan 2016 prepared by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) says there is no need for any more coal-based capacity addition till 2022 and adequate coal is expected to be available for the coal-based power plants during 2021-22 and 2026-27.

“Other Ministries need to take cognisance of the CEA’s warning, and act now to avoid wasting scarce capital,” said Nandikesh Sivalingam, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace India.

“The CEA’s report presents India with another opportunity to show global leadership in the fight against climate change, and ensure the economy moves decisively towards a cleaner energy paradigm that guarantees clean power to all,” concluded Sivalingam.

Source – BS