The State government’s efforts to develop a green energy corridor received a major fillip on Thursday with the Central government announcing the release of Rs. 515 crore grant for evacuation of wind power.
The inter-ministerial group constituted by the Centre accepted the State’s request in this regard. The State government had taken up a project to evacuate wind power from the projects coming up at Anantapur with an estimated Rs. 1,289 crore. The Inter-Ministerial group held discussions with the State Energy officials at a high-level meeting in New Delhi and announced its willingness to give 40 per cent of the project cost as grant.
“The Centre has agreed to bear 40 per cent of the project cost for evacuation of wind energy. The funds will be released from the National Green Energy Fund accordingly,” a senior official who attended the meeting told The Hindu .
The power utilities would initiate measures soon to mobilise the balance cost from internal accruals and other means so that the project works would commence at the earliest.
The development follows a recent letter addressed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to the Union Power Ministry seeking its assistance for the ambitious green energy corridor proposed by the State to evacuate renewable energy with a cost of Rs. 3,435 crore.
