ULTRA-MEGA RENEWABLE ENERGY POWER PARKS (UMREPP) SCHEME.

  • Recently, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Renewable Energy Ltd (REL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union Territory of Ladakh to set up the country’s first Green Hydrogen Mobility project.
  • NTPC REL will also set up a solar park at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat from where it will also generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale under the Ultra-Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks (UMREPP) scheme.
  • Hydrogen produced from renewable sources is called green hydrogen.

Ultra-Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks (UMREPP) scheme

  • It is a scheme to develop Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks (UMREPPs) under the existing Solar Park Scheme.
  • The scheme was rolled out by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) in 2014.
  • Solar Park Scheme is also a scheme of MNRE to set up a number of solar parks across various states in the country. It proposes to provide financial support by the Government of India to establish solar parks.
  • The objective of the UMREPP is to provide land upfront to the project developer and facilitate transmission infrastructure for developing Renewable Energy (RE) based Power Parks with solar/wind/hybrid and also with storage systems.

Important points:

  • NTPC REL has planned to ply 5 hydrogen buses, to start with, in the region and the company will be setting up a solar plant and a green hydrogen generation unit in Leh towards this end.
  • This will put Leh as the first city in the country to implement a green hydrogen based mobility project. This would be zero emission mobility in true sense.
  • This is also in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a ‘carbon neutral’ Ladakh.
  • It will help Ladakh develop a carbon free economy based on renewable sources and green hydrogen.

India’s Largest Solar Park:

  • NTPC REL will set up a 4.75 gigawatt (GW) renewable energy park at Rann of Kutch in Khavada, Gujarat. This will be India’s largest solar park to be built by the largest power producer of the country.
  • Kutch region in Gujarat, the largest salt desert in the country and host to two of India’s largest coal-fired power plants, will now add another feather to its cap.

National Thermal Power Corporation Limited

  • NTPC Ltd. is a central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Power.
  • NTPC REL is a 100% subsidiary of NTPC.
  • It is India’s largest energy conglomerate with roots planted way back in 1975 to accelerate power development in India.
  • It aims to provide reliable power and related solutions in an economical, efficient and environment-friendly manner, driven by innovation and agility.
  • NTPC has also been promoting usage of green hydrogen based solutions in sectors like mobility, energy, chemical, fertilizer, steel etc.
  • It became a Maharatna company in May 2010.
  • It is located in New Delhi.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

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