The State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) will focus on setting up more floating solar power plants and new pumped-storage power projects to optimally harness green energy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said.
Speaking after inaugurating the SCCL’s 10.5 MW solar power plant in the coal town of Kothagudem on Sunday, Mr Vikramarka, who is the Minister for Finance and Energy, said the State’s new renewable energy policy will be unveiled soon.
The State suffered immensely due to lack of the renewable energy policy in the last 10 years, he said, adding that the coal mining giant, SCCL, had successfully forayed into solar power generation as part of its ambitious diversification plans.
Plans are afoot to augment the solar power generation by setting up additional solar power plants on opencast overburden dumps and floating solar power plants in the reservoirs in the coal belt area. The SCCL’s proposal to set up pumped-storage power projects will give further fillip to the green energy drive and earn additional revenue for the company, he said.
He added that the State government was actively exploring plans to install solar panels on the main canal bunds of the major and medium irrigation projects and also set up pumped storage hydro-electric power projects in the SRSP, Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam reservoirs.
Hitting out at the previous BRS government for allegedly ruining the power sector, he said the Congress government is relentlessly striving to make Telangana a power-surplus State.
Lauding the role of SCCL workforce in propelling economy, he said the Congress government took up review of minimum wages as part of efforts to protect the interests of contract/outsourcing workers.
The Indiramma Rajyam (Congress government) has already issued a circular to provide 80% of jobs to locals in the SCCL, filled 441 posts and released recruitment notification for 464 posts in the SCCL. The upper age limit for heirs regarding compassionate appointments has been increased from 35 years to 40 years.
He said the Congress government will protect the stake of SCCL over the coal blocks in the Godavari valley coalfield at any cost and help it scale up its coal production to the tune of 90 to 100 million tonnes over the next few years.
He announced that “one-crore accidental insurance scheme” for 43,000 regular workers of the SCCL will be launched at the State secretariat in Hyderabad on February 26.
Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, Kothagudem MLA K.Sambasiva Rao, and SCCL chairman and managing director N.Balram were present.
