Power minister Nilesh Cabral said on Wednesday that Goa would achieve 100% household electrification by the end of this year.
“My concern has been households in certain villages that were without power supply for very long,” he told TOI. “Initially, 250 households in Goa did not have electricity. So far, we have given connections to 150, and 100 will be given soon.”
The proposal will be put before the cabinet shortly, and after the cabinet approval, a contractor will start the work, the power minister said. “The houses that are without electricity are located all over the hinterlands,” he said.
The problem arose due to the houses’ inaccessibility from the grid. “In such cases, the process of giving electricity connections is a lengthy process. Those houses are in the remotest parts of the state, mostly in forested areas,” he said.
The electricity department has provided such houses with basic plug points through renewable energy sources. “That’s how we are dealing with the problem,” he said.
Another area his ministry has been working on, he said, is solar energy projects. Starting from zero, he said they installed 20 solar rooftops within two years. More plans are in the offing. “We are looking at the renewable energy sector,” he said.
“We will shortly come out with an open access policy, and after cabinet approval, an expression of interest will be floated,” he said.
Under the open access policy, he said, an entity or an individual will be allowed to sell solar energy generated by him to whoever he wants, but will be required to provide the government an equal quantum of usage during peak time.
“Anybody will be able to have a solar installation and invest in battery storage,” he said. “During the day, a generator of solar energy will be able to use the electricity department’s grid for free and supply to any consumer, but (will have to) supply 50% to the government between 6pm and 11pm. They will be acting on our terms and conditions.”
