Need spl team to enable energy transition: Experts

Ranchi: Jharkhand government has recently adopted an ambitious solar policy, indicating its intent to shift focus from coal-based energy to renewables in a bid to phase down coal. The solar policy aims at adding 4,000MWs of solar power during the next five years whereas the installed domestic thermal capacity is at a low 400MWs contributed by the lone state-owned unit of Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited.
Various experts keeping a close watch on the climate change and government initiative to shift from coal to renewables are now concerned about unplanned transition, that might lead to joblessness and other economic burdens.
Former principal chief conservator of forest-cum-chairman Jharkhand state pollution control board A K Rastogi said that the government is taking few steps towards making the process of sustainable transition easy going. He was attending a stakeholders conference on ‘enabling just transition in Jharkhand’ organised by the Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) here on Wednesday. He said that there was a need to focus on the far-reaching consequences of energy transition that would impact socio economic changes. Rastogi said that only futuristic policies can pave the way for seamless transition.
Organisers of the conference, however, underlined the need for a special task force apart from policies to enable the transition in a way that it not only controls damage to environment but also gives an opportunity to those dependent on coal economy to adjust. CEO, CEED, Ramapati Kumar said that their was a need for special taskforce at the state level that can create a route map and also monitor the shift in energy usage.