ITANAGAR, 3 Feb: The state’s department of hydropower development (DHPD) has become a renewable energy-producing entity to claim carbon credits (CC), and will receive the carbon credits issued by the Universal Carbon Registry (UCR).
The department informed in a press release that “Carbon assets management (carbon credits trading) for hydropower plants of DHPD has been accomplished in bundle-wise, vide registration of a) 11.998 mw, vide UCR ID No 090; b) 11.925 mw, vide UCR No 091; c) 8.32 mw, vide UCR No 092, and d) 10.91 mw bundle, vide UCR ID No 093.”
“The department has 74.88 million units generated by state-owned 135 plants is equivalent to 54,410 carbon credits annually and can earn approximately Rs 1.15 crore at present market rate,” said the DHPD western zone chief engineer.
“Arunachal Pradesh has hydropower potential of more than 55,000 mw (identified so far) for development, and its energy is green energy,” the department said, adding that the DHPD “has credited so far with 135 micro, mini and small hydropower plants, comprising 81.07 mw installed capacity across the state.”
These hydropower plants are run-of-the-river plants and are eligible for carbon credit, it said.
Hydropower Commissioner Prashant Lokhande claimed that the move would “aid the mission of achieving net-zero emissions by the year 2070.”
Out of the total hydropower plants, 98 micro, mini and small hydropower plants, comprising 50.295 mw installed capacity, have been considered for carbon credits registration and assets management for the year 2014-2020. “The carbon credits calculated since 2014 to 2020 from the state-owned micro, mini and small hydropower plants across the state is 250.65 mu and carbon credits on trading at present market rate, the revenue earned would be Rs 4.83 crores till 2020,” the department said.
“Arunachal is contributing in the carbon sink undertaking by considering 50 micro and mini hydropower projects under the golden jubilee border village illumination programme in phased manner. In the first phase, 17 micro and mini hydropower projects with installed capacity of 1,255 kw are being developed, starting from the 2021-22 financial year,” it said.
