The State government has awarded the contract to set up the first 50 charging stations, which will kick off its new electric vehicle policy, to M/s K. Solar Group.
State power department officials said that within three months the joint venture company would install 10 stations each in Thane, Panvel and Pune, and along the Mumbai-Pune and the Mumbai-Nagpur expressways. The group will also build the ₹36,000-crore ‘Prosperity Corridor’ between Mumbai and Nagpur.
The Union Power Ministry has declared the charging stations as a service and said they will not require a licence under the Electricity Act 2003 as they are not involved in transmitting, distributing or trading electricity. A senior official said the first order was worth only ₹1.5 crore and they would scale up the future orders.
Earlier this year, the government issued a special ordinance directing planning authorities to start giving permissions for setting up charging stations at public parking lots, housing societies, gas stations, railway stations and bus depots. The policy, which was approved in February, had permitted private players and green vehicle firms to build the stations.
The Urban Development Department (UDD) also framed ground rules that require the stations not to obstruct movement at public spaces and comply with fire safety measures. The UDD has directed the planning authorities to clear proposals within 15 days after checking if they adhere to the prescribed norms.
The policy has provisions to provide aid for building stations, subsidised electricity rates to manufacturers, and 25% capital subsidy for the first 250 stations. The policy aims to make the State’s transport system go electric by 2030 and create five lakh jobs with a ₹25,000-crore investment.
