Delhi: Jai Prakash Shivahare, Managing Director of Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd, announced that Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation (GETCO) plans to invest ₹96,000 crore over the next 8 years. This initiative aims to bolster the state’s transmission infrastructure to accommodate its expanding renewable energy capacity.

Speaking at the Global Wind Day event in Delhi, Shivahare emphasized the critical need to expand transmission capabilities in Gujarat. This expansion is essential to efficiently transport electricity from remote wind and solar project areas in Kutch and northern Gujarat to major consumption hubs like Ahmedabad, Morbi, Rajkot, and Vadodara.

Currently, Gujarat boasts a robust renewable energy capacity of 26,005 MW, including 11,823 MW from wind and 14,182 MW from solar power. Looking ahead to 2030, the state plans significant additions with 22,546 MW of wind power, 24,694 MW of solar power, alongside 2,458 MW of coal and 1,620 MW of hydroelectric capacity.

Shivahare assured stakeholders that GETCO would expedite connectivity approvals for new projects. He mentioned “GETCO currently allocates approximately ₹4,000 crore annually to transmission infrastructure and will increase this amount over the next 8 years.” He highlighted that GETCO is a profitable company and also stated that the Gujarat government is considering securing loans to fund these projects.

Recently, Gujarat concluded two tenders for battery-based energy storage systems, achieving costs of Rs 4.43 and Rs 3.67 per kWh, respectively.

The companies awarded these tenders—Indigrid, Gensol, and a consortium—will receive monthly payments of Rs 4.48 lakh and Rs 3.73 lakh per MW from GUVNL. This compensation is for supplying electricity during morning and evening peak periods using their battery storage systems.

Shivahare underscored the economic and operational advantages of utilizing battery-stored wind and solar power, which is significantly cheaper compared to the Rs 8.5 to Rs 9 per kWh cost of using gas-based power plants during peak demand. DeshGujarat