CHANDIGARH: Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) Tuesday evinced keen interest to tap the renewable energy in Punjab through making huge investment in this sector as the state had a tremendous potential in non conventional sources of energy which could be optimally utilized to further augment the power generation.

An assurance to this effect was given by the delegation led by Group President of Corporate Affairs RIL Dr. A.Shankar to the Punjab Chief Minister Mr.Parkash Singh Badal in a meeting at Kapurthala House, New Delhi this afternoon  Dr. Shankar requested the Chief Minister to enhance the subsidy component for the installation of projects based on non-conventional sources of energy in the state.  He said that RIL had a proven track of expertise and technology in the field of renewable energy and they had deliberately chosen Punjab as their investment destination because it had an investor-friendly climate coupled with pro-investor policies.  

Taking part in the deliberations, Badal also asked Dr.Shankar to explore the potential in the wind energy in Punjab.  He reiterated his firm commitment to make Punjab as a power surplus state by adding 6000 MW within next three years.   He assured fulsome support and cooperation to the RIL for setting up their ventures in the renewable energy.  He also said that he would soon take up the matter with the Ministry of Renewable and Non-conventional Energy for the reviving the subsidy on the solar water pumping sets which had been discontinued by the Centre from the past few years.  

Science Technology, Environment and Non-conventional Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia said that renewable energy in any form of either solar or wind was far more cost effective as well as environmentally non hazardous as compared to thermal, hydro and bio-mass.  He asked the RIL to also study the viability of the generation of wind energy in the state which could also be harnessed especially for the agrarian sector.  He assured the RIL that the state government would soon urged the Centre to grant more subsidy on the installation of 10 MW power plans from solar energy. 

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting Chief Secretary RI Singh, Secretary Science, Technology, Environment & Non-conventional Energy AS Chhatwal, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister KJS Cheema, Chief Executive PEDA TPS Sidhu, besides Vice President Corporate Affairs Amit Kalra and General Manager Sales & Marketing (Solar Energy) Gurjit Bharara from RIL.