Japan K Pathak, Gandhinagar: Gujarat government is exploring possibilities for establishing a nuclear power plant in the State. In the annual budget presented by Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, a Rs. 1 crore allocation is made for consultancy to explore the possibilities to establish a nuclear power plant in Gujarat.

The grant is allocated to Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) for consultancy work. The State presently has a nuclear energy plant at Kakrapar, which comes under the Central government. Previously, another nuclear power plant was to be established in Bhavnagar district, but the project was dropped after opposition by foreign-funded NGOs-backed protests.

Under the demands of the Energy and Petrochemicals Department, a major Rs. 100 crore allocation is made for assistance to GUVNL for waiver of regulatory charges for the installation of new rooftop solar systems up to 6 KW to residential consumers under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. A Rs. 50 crore allocation is made for assistance to GUVNL for the development of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in the State. Assistance for the establishment of laboratories for advanced testing in the energy sector has found an allocation of Rs. 31.35 crore, while assistance for renewable energy storage at the generation level has found an allocation of Rs. 20 crore in the FY 2025 budget presented by the Finance Minister on February 20th. DeshGujarat