CHANDIGARH: Minister for New and Renewable Energy Punjab, Dr. Raj kumar Verka directed the officials of PEDA to take effective steps to promote electric vehicles in consultation with major oil companies and to install solar charging stations at all petrol pumps to facilitate charging of electric vehicles.
While reviewing the schemes of PEDA in his first meeting at the building of Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) here today, Dr. Raj Kumar Verka agreed to provide free land for construction of Energy Efficient Building under the exhibition program. The entire cost of constructing this building is to be borne by the Government of India. He emphasized on installing more and more solar pumps for agriculture so, that the farmers could avail maximum benefits from this scheme. Dr. Verka also emphised to install more projects by PEDA.
Earlier, Mr. Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa, CEO , PEDA has informed cabinet minister about the major schemes / projects of PEDA. He said that PEDA has set up 1700 MW renewable energy related projects out of which, 970 MW are solar power projects. Mr. Randhawa also informed that PEDA is implementing more and more projects based on paddy straw. Twenty three projects with a total production capacity of 260 tons of CBG are under construction, including the largest CBG project in Asia with a capacity of 33.23 tons of compressed biogas (CBG) per day. The project will be commissioned in December, 2021 in Lehragaga tehsil.
In addition, a refinery for bio-ethanol project is under construction at Talwandi Sabo ( Bathinda) which, will start by February, 2023. It will consume 500 tons of paddy straw daily.
At the end of the meeting Additional Chief Secretary of Renewable Energy Resources, Mr. Anurag Aggarwal thanked Dr. Verka. In the meeting Mr. HS Hanspal, Chairman, PEDA; Mr. Satinderpal Singh Gill, Chairman, PGL; Mr. Rajinder Chhabra, Vice Chairman, PGL; Mr. M.P. Singh, Director, PEDA were also present.