New Delhi,May 16:The government has set an ambitious target of producing 10,500 megawatts of wind power in the current plan. In an exclusive interview to AIR correspondent the Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Mr. Vilas Muttemwar said ,the strategy for promoting wind energy projects with private sector investments will continue.
He said, fiscal incentives including concessional import duty on certain components, excise duty exemption and ten years tax holiday on income generated from such wind power projects will be given to private players as well. In reply to a question he said about 8000 megawatt of wind power capacity has been installed till December last. Mr. Muttemwar said with the demand for electricity increasing every day particularly in the cities the Ministry has prepared a comprehensive programme for the development of solar cities. He said the objective is to tap solar energy for the purpose. The Minister said that a series of measures have been taken by the government to popularise the non-conventional energy among the people and it is high time that this type of energy is tapped at a massive scale to augment the demand for energy with economic growth hovering between eight to nine per cent. The Minister said the other areas of non-conventional energy being tapped include bio-gas. He said the hydro power is the biggest source of non-conventional energy in India and it is essential to tap it to ensure clean and green environment.