Niti Aayog to woo green energy investors, devise strategy of hiking output fourfold by 2022

New Delhi: The government has tasked its premier think tank Niti Aayog with promoting India as a renewable energy investment destination and developing a strategy to help achieve its target of increasing output nearly fourfold to 175 GW by 2022 from 45 GW at present.

This could potentially create a rift between the Aayog, which replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission last year, and the ministry of new and renewable energy, people familiar with the matter said.

"It is difficult to ramp up output four times in six years because of a large number of commercial and technical problems associated with renewable energy generation. Hence, the government has decided to set up an overseeing mechanism which will see the implementation of the roadmap laid out by the government," a senior government official told ET, requesting anonymity.

A two-tier structure has been put in place at the Aayog for the purpose, comprising an advisory group and a steering committee, the official said. Accordingly, the Aayog on May 4 issued two office orders announcing the setting up of these bodies.

"The advisory group will oversee the integration of RE into electricity grid by promoting coordination between the Centre and states and suggest interventions required to promote India as an RE investment destination/hub to achieve national renewable energy targets," it said in an order.

NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya will chair the advisory group, which will have power minister Piyush Goyal and minister of state (energy) from 10 potential states as its members.

The states involved will include Rajasthan, TN, Madhya Pradesh , Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam and Punjab, the order said.

The second tier will consist of a steering committee chaired by Aayog's chief operating officer Amitabh Kant, with power and renewable energy secretary as its members besides principal secretary (energy) of the 10 states, as per another office order issued on the same day.

"The steering committee will facilitate RE grid integration and efficient grid operating strategy, afford a coordination mechanism among different stakeholders at the central and state levels to implement the aforesaid strategies as well as report the progress of implementation assembly to the adviser group," the order said.

The Aayog had last year come out with a report on the country's renewable electricity roadmap 2030 in which it had recommended formulation of a national renewable energy law or policy that would define targets, identify the financial support required for achieving targets and undertake integrated energy resource planning.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.