Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday approved the draft Green Hydrogen Policy-2023 which provides for the promotion of the companies generating green energy with various rebates under Rajasthan Investment Promotion Policy-2022.
The state government has taken an important decision towards generating clean energy, future needs and climate change, the CM said.
The Rajasthan Green Hydrogen Policy-2023 is being brought to search for clean energy sources in the state and promote investors, he added.
The Energy Department will soon release a notification to this effect. With this, companies generating green energy in the state will get various types of subsidies.
Employment opportunities will also increase in the state with huge sources of renewable energy available in the state. Rajasthan has a favourable atmosphere for the generation of green hydrogen.
Investments to increase
Various facilities will be given to promote investors under the policy of the state government. These include a 50 per cent rebate for 10 years in transmission and distribution charges on the installation of 500 KTPA renewable energy plants on the state’s transmission system and complete exemption on additional and cross-subsidy surcharge for 10 years on purchasing renewable energy from the third party.
Priority will be given to the land allotment for the generation of green hydrogen from treated or brackish water and a subsidy of 30 per cent (maximum of Rs 5 crore) will be given on setting up a research centre.
There will be no prohibition on the capacity of captive power plants and on the banking of generated electricity. Besides this, the ban on the release of electricity during peak hours has also been removed in this new policy. In the new policy, there will be a 100 per cent reimbursement/waiver on wheeling and transmission charges under the Rajasthan Green Hydrogen Policy-2023. Along with this, banking charges for power plants will be reimbursed/waived for 7 to 10 years.
Green Hydrogen is to be included in the Thrust Sector under RIPS-2022. The green hydrogen sector under the Rajasthan Green Hydrogen Policy-2023 will be included in the Thrust Sector in the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme-2022. Besides this, the benefits of the manufacturing standard package will be given by including it in the Sunrise sector.
The state government, in the policy, has fixed a target of generating 2000 KTPA energy by the year 2030. Projects will be set up in 4 categories. In this, the release of renewable energy through the network of power grid, generation of renewable energy and hydrogen (700 KTPA) from the same place and extraction of renewable energy (500 KTPA) through the network of RVPN.
It is pertinent to mention that Green Hydrogen is a new and emerging sector of renewable energy. Hydrogen is generated from water electrolysis using renewable energy. Therefore, it is called Green Hydrogen. Hydrogen is mainly used in refineries, steel plants and in making ammonia. The total demand for hydrogen in the country is 60 lakh tonnes, whereas in Rajasthan the demand is 2.5 lakh tonnes. Its manufacturing is pollution-free. The Central Government has released the National Green Hydrogen Policy-2022 and Mission. In this, a target has been fixed to generate 50 lakh tonnes of Green Hydrogen by the year 2030.
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