Under existing rules, any project requiring more than 5 hectare or 12.35 acres should have consent from the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). This itself is a time consuming process that involves following several painstaking procedures before permission is granted.
A former chairman of Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) said that some of the State laws regarding clearances could probably be changed, but when it came to receiving MoEF clearance, it was unrealistic to expect it in four months. “If it is under five hectare, then the clearances can be obtained from MoEF’s regional office here. If more land was involved, then would take a really long time, so four months will not be realistic,” he observed.
Already, even government projects involving forest land like that in Gundya in Sakleshpura is already mired in controversy over MoEF clearance. So its unlikely that forest clearances can be obtained brushing aside the objections that are likely to surface. The draft also promises other statutory clearances like irrigation and revenue departments and Gram panchayats within 90 days.
Time limit
Under the policy, it is mandatory for the developer to complete the project in all respects and commission (become operational) the project with grid synchronisation within a period of three years from the date of statutory clearances.
This again is a near impossibility with regard to hydel projects, as the actual work begins after the allotment of clearances. The data for the flood sequence analysis and flow analysis is usually collected for a period of three years.
A developer involved in the commissioning of mini hydel projects says that any project which is dependent on the vagaries of nature will require comprehensive data on a micro scale.
Loans dependent on data
The feasibility of producing power depends on this data, so there is no question of cutting corners or reducing the time taken to evaluate the water flow in a place. Even loans from the bank is dependent on the data collected over this period of time. The Karnataka Renewable Energy Developers Association has also objected to this clause in their representation to the Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao.
Interestingly, while the supposed idea is to welcome developers to invest in renewable energy projects and provide lot of benefits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the government also proposes that they should receive 50 per cent of the gross benefits of CDM from the developer.