Bihar’s Energy Minister, Shri Bijendra Prasad Yadav called on investors to come to Bihar state, one of India’s most electricity poor, to help achieve bold new renewable energy targets and decarbonize the economy.
It is estimated that Bihar could see $3 billion (INR 200 billion) in investment on the heels of a new five-year renewable energy policy that targets 3 GW of solar capacity, including 1 GW of rooftop solar and 100 MW of green mini-grids. The policy, which would see 1/4 of the state’s installed generation capacity from renewable energy by 2022, was announced earlier this month.
“We are rapidly moving towards ‘de-carbonization’,” Shri Yadav told a June 15 national conference on renewable energy, RE-Powering Bihar: Energizing Access and Opportunities. “We still rely on conventional sources of energy, mostly coal, to meet our energy demands. But, the adverse effects of carbon emissions from these sources can be seen in the form of accelerated climate change and increase in frequency and severity of natural disasters.”
“It is the time for investors to come to Bihar and invest in order to accelerate the development of the state,” Shri Yadav said.
Ramapati Kumar, CEO of conference organizer the Center for Environment and Energy Development (CEED), said the new policy “paves the way for investment in clean energy and lays a foundation for lasting prosperity.”
“All of us must work towards making Bihar self sufficient in energy,” he added.
More details can be found here: http://ceedindia.org/renewable-energy-policy-moves-towards-ensuring-energy-for-all-in-bihar/