Green Planet Energy Invest in Punjab

The plan would add 147MW of renewable energy to the state's portfolio.

The investment is part of the Punjabi government's ambitious plans to shift towards green energy sources.

According to the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), bioenergy is the leading form of renewable energy for the 'green state', with a potential of more than 1.4 GW. Wind, solar and micro-hydro are also in the portfolio and are attracting (smaller) investments, all aimed at meeting a goal of generating 1500MW of 'non-conventional' power by 2012.

Green Planet Energy is a 'Special Purpose Vehicle' formed by a consortium of three companies - Kamala Mills Ltd, Darashaw & Co and MPPL Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd - to promote biomass based power projects. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation, the state-owned agricultural promotion agency, to initiate the investment process.

Proposed under the so-called 'Agri-Mega Project Scheme' of the Punjab government, the company has planned to generate 147 MW of biomass-based power in the state with the project providing direct employment for 3,000 persons and indirect employment for more than 7,500 people.

MPPL Renewable Energy, one of the project partners, has already successfully commissioned a 4.5 MW biomass-fed steam cycle power plant near Mysore in Karnataka. This power plant obtained the world's first Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) under the UN's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Supported by Germany's development agency GTZ, MPPL is now registering more than 600 MWe worth of modular biomass power plants across India, under the CDM.

The pioneering plant in Karnataka uses low density crop residues, such as coconut fronds and sugarcane trash. The biomass supply chain for this plant has created 450 jobs and contributes around 45 million rupees ($1.1 million/€680,000) per year of additional rural income to farmers. The company was able to overcome slagging/corrosion problems typical of working with low density biomass feedstocks. Boiler availability is now 87.71 per cent and efficiency reaches a level of 76.54 per cent.

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