REMCs for grid integration to be commissioned soon

All eleven Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMCs) originally envisaged to be commissioned in 2018-2019 will soon be integrated and commissioned. These REMCs are critical to the viability of India’s clean energy mission as they will facilitate grid integration of large scale renewable energy.

According to officials in the know, REMCs in the southern and western region have been commissioned. The northern region REMC is in the final stages of completion and will be operational soon.

Under this project, seven REMCs in renewable energy-rich States of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, three in northern, southern and western regions and one on the national level were conceptualised as nodal institutions for addressing operational issues on grid integration.

For ease of implementation, the REMC project was segregated into three packages with southern region consisting of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka;western region with Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh; and the northern region with Rajasthan. A national level REMC would also be set up at the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC).

The officials said, the region level REMCs were to be commissioned in 2018-2019, the original deadline envisaged in the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) proposal dated April 10, 2017. But it was later expected that the project would be operational by end of 2019.

In August 2017, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany had signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the Indo-German Energy Programme – Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC).

Detailed project report

According to an official statement, the main objective of this programme component was to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid integration of renewable energies. As per the detailed project report of the REMC, the estimated total cost is ₹409 crore, with the southern region package costing ₹154 crore; western region ₹ 153 crore; and the northern region including the NLDC ₹102 crore.

Public Sector Enterprise Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) was entrusted with implementation of REMC projects. Upon commissioning, REMCs shall be handed over to the respective load dispatch centres.

According to the REMC scheme, out of total envisaged capacity of the centre’s renewable energy mission (160 GW of wind and Solar) by 2022, the seven States in which REMCs are being established, account for about 104 GW,65 per cent of the envisaged capacity.