Only 10% of 900 solar pump target achieved as govt struggles with implementation
PANAJI
Only 10 per cent of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme’s target of 900 solar pump installations by 2026 has been achieved by Goa to date.
The scheme, launched in July 2019, has seen fewer than 100 pump sets installed.
The PM-KUSUM scheme, launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), aimed at making the agriculture sector energy efficient, entails the installation of 90 solar-powered agricultural pump sets so far.
The scheme has three components: to install grid-connected, ground-mounted solar power plants on barren, fallow, marshy, or cultivable lands by individual farmers, solar power developers, or local bodies.
The second component involves the installation of stand-alone solar pumps in off-grid areas, and under the third, the solarisation of grid-connected agriculture pumps.
According to the information provided by the Union Ministry for New and Renewable Energy in Lok Sabha, the State was sanctioned a target installation of 900 solar-powered agricultural pump sets of up to 7.5 horsepower capacity by March 2026. To date, 90 pump sets have been installed under the scheme.
The data also shows that under Component A, Goa has set a target of 50 MW of power generation, and two power purchase agreements under the scheme have been executed for the purchase of 4 MW of solar plants, which would be set up by farmers on their farms. However, to date, the State has not managed to install or generate even one MW of power.
Further, 700 ground-mounted solar plants with a total capacity of 1.7 MW have been installed so far. The Union Ministry for New and Renewable Energy has approved the solarisation of feeders for the State in lieu of the individual solarisation of 11,000 agricultural pumps.
As per the energy consumption data of agricultural pumps, a cumulative capacity of 13.6 MWp is required to be installed to offset the units consumed by 11,000 agricultural pumps.
