Ten years after it was first introduced, the Kerala Small Hydropower Policy is in for a thorough overhaul with the State government hoping to make the sector attractive to investors.
While revising the policy, the basic thrust will be on simplifying procedures, particularly those related to mandatory clearances, and encouraging new investor groups, including local bodies, profit-making public sector units and cooperative institutions, to take up small hydropower projects, according to the Energy Management Centre (EMC), the agency tasked with the preparation of the policy.
A recent stakeholder consultation organised by the EMC highlighted the need for an efficient single-window clearance mechanism, active involvement of the government/EMC in procuring clearances, preparing detailed project reports (DPR) before tendering the work and making available cost-effective project designs.
