Hyderabad: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over the state government's delay in responding to renewable energy investment proposals from Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) and Coal India Limited (CIL).
Speaking at the 'Renergine-2026' conference organized by Rengy at 'The Quorum' in Hyderabad, Kishan Reddy said both companies had expressed readiness as early as October last year to invest ₹10,000 crore in Telangana in solar, wind, pumped storage, and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects. However, he alleged that the state government had not yet responded to the proposals.
Minister Urges State Cooperation
He urged the state government to cooperate with the Centre in advancing clean energy initiatives by immediately responding to the proposals, allocating land, and facilitating the investments for the benefit of the state.
Kishan Reddy said the Centre was implementing a comprehensive and multi-dimensional strategy to make India self-reliant in the energy sector amid changing global conditions and rising electricity demand. He credited Prime Minister Modi with initiating a 'Clean Energy Revolution' to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources, protect the environment, and accelerate economic growth.
Global Energy Security Concerns
'The current war-like situation in West Asia has created serious concerns about global energy security. Anticipating such challenges nearly 12 years ago, Prime Minister Modi redefined India's energy security strategy. Today, renewable energy in India is no longer just a government policy but has evolved into a powerful people's movement,' he said.
The Union minister said the Centre was giving significant importance to Telangana's development and energy requirements. He noted that, in addition to approving 450 MW of decentralized grid-connected solar power projects, the Centre had allocated 20,000 solar agricultural pump sets to the state. Moreover, he said NTPC had invested nearly ₹44,000 crore in Telangana's power generation sector, with 1,600 MW already operational.
Record Power Demand Met
Referring to the recent heatwave, Kishan Reddy said India's peak power demand touched a record 270.82 GW on May 21, and despite the unprecedented demand, an uninterrupted power supply was maintained nationwide. He contrasted this with the 2012 Northern Power Grid collapse during the UPA regime, when nearly 600 million people were affected despite demand being below 120 GW.
He said India was progressing towards the goal of 'Viksit Bharat-2047' and stressed that every citizen had a responsibility to conserve electricity and avoid wastage. He also expressed confidence that Hyderabad, already leading in the IT and pharmaceutical sectors, would emerge as a national hub for renewable energy research.
Call for Citizen Participation
Kishan Reddy further said the Centre's objective was to transform citizens from mere energy consumers into energy producers and called upon youth and entrepreneurs to actively participate in the clean energy movement through innovation and technological advancement.
