The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved the second phase of the Rs 12,000 crore Green Energy Corridor (GEC) for the intra-state transmission system (InSTS).

The GEC scheme will help in achieving the target of 450 GW installed renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2030. It will also contribute to the long term energy security of the country and promote ecologically sustainable growth by reducing carbon footprint.

It is to be noted that phase 1 of the GEC, which is already under implementation in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu for grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 24 GW of RE power, is expected to be completed by 2022.

GEC-II aims for the addition of 9700 ckm of transmission lines and 22600 MVA capacity of substations having estimated cost of transmission projects of Rs 10,141.68 crore with Centre’s assistance of Rs 4,056.67 crore.

The Green Energy Corridor Project aims at synchronizing electricity produced from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, with conventional power stations in the grid. For evacuation of large-scale renewable energy, Intra State Transmission System (InSTS) project was sanctioned by the Ministry in 2015-16.

The scheme will facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) power projects in seven of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Phase 2 of the scheme is targeted to be set up with a total estimated cost of Rs 12,031.33 crore out of which Centre will bear 33 percent of the project cost which is estimated at Rs 3,970.34 crore. The transmission systems will be created over a period of five years from Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26.