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Non-conventional energy -- New funding scheme for Sunderbans

Indrani Dutta

CHHOTOMOLLAKHALI (WB), July 1

SUNDARBANS will get the same high focus status such as the North East in respect of funding of non-conventional power projects according to Mr M Kannapan, Union Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES).

Making this announcement at a function on this remote island in Sundarbans, he said that under this scheme 90 per cent of the cost of power projects, using non-conventional sources, would be financed by the Ministry with the remaining coming from the Sta te Government. In the same breath, he exhorted Mr Mrinal Banerjee, the West Bengal Power Minister to announce conducive policies to attract private investment in this sector.

Mr Kannapan, who braved a four-and-a-half hour journey from Kolkata using various modes of transport to come to this island, was addressing an assembly of nearly a thousand-strong local inhabitants who had gathered there on the occasion of the inaugurat ion of the island's first bio-mass gasifier project (500 kW), which will bring electricity to 800 homes in this village, which now has no access to conventional electricity.

Majority of the three million populace, make do with kerosene lamps with the affluent section buying costly electricity ( at Rs 8 per point) for four hours daily. This is generated by a privately owned diesel generating set.

During the two-hour launch ride to this island down River Raimangal, the Union Minister, alongwith his advisers held a meeting with Mr Banerjee, Mr Kanti Chowdhury, State Minister for Sundarbans Affairs, Mr Dipankar Mukherjee, CPM MP and Mr S P GonChowdh ury, director of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency.

It was then decided that WBREDA would submit to MNES, a Rs 100 crore plan to light up all the unelectrified villages (153) in Sundarbans with renewable energy sources. Home to exotic flora and fuana, the entire Sundarbans comprising 55 islands and 195 vi llages, is off-grid since it is not possible to provide conventional power in a cost-effective manner. WBREDA, with MNES' support has electrified 42 villages setting up a 3 MW capacity using solar energy mostly.

It has made beginnings in wind energy and energy from tidal waves here. Mr Gon Chowdhury said that they would try to get the report ready within two months. The aim would be to create 10 MW capacity. It may be mentioned that Mr Mukherjee has injected Rs 0.25 lakhs from his MPLAD scheme allocation for drawing lines for the distribution of electricity.

The Rs 1.3 crore project, which envisages using forest mass as fuel (from captive plantations) for generating gas to produce power, has been financed by MNES, State Government, West Bengal Rural Energy Development Corporation and Sundarbans Development C ouncil. A similar project is functioning in Gosaba island also in the Sundarbans since 1997.