Patanjali Civil Services Academy

Green Energy Corridor (GEC) – Phase III [Prelims Bits]

Tags: Prelims Current events of national and international importance

Source: The Hindu

Context: Union Cabinet approved GEC Phase III to integrate up to 135 GW of renewable energy into electricity grids by FY 2032–33.

It also aims to reduce renewable-energy curtailment caused by grid constraints/stability requirements.
Total outlay: > ₹1.86 lakh crore.
Intra-state transmission: ₹1.36 lakh crore.
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): ₹50,000 crore for 50 GWh capacity.
Target: Grid integration of 135 GW renewable energy across States/UTs.
Curtailment: Deliberate reduction of renewable-power generation by grid operators, generally due to transmission constraints, excess generation or grid-stability requirements.
BESS role: Stores electricity when renewable generation is high and supplies it when generation/demand conditions require, helping grid balancing and renewable integration.
Green Energy Corridor is primarily a power-transmission infrastructure initiative, not a renewable-generation scheme; its focus is on building/upgrading transmission networks to evacuate renewable power.
Intra-state transmission connects renewable-energy generation to the grid within a State, while inter-state transmission facilitates transfer across State boundaries.

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Green Energy Corridor Phase III:

It envisages integration of up to 135 GW of renewable energy into electricity grids by FY 2032–33.
The proposed BESS component is intended primarily to generate additional renewable electricity rather than store electricity.
The intra-state transmission component constitutes a larger financial allocation than the BESS component.
Curtailment of renewable energy necessarily means that the renewable-energy resource itself is unavailable.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Answer: (a)

Explanation:

Statement 1 is Correct: GEC Phase III targets integration of up to 135 GW of renewable energy by FY 2032–33.
Statement 2 is Incorrect: BESS stores electricity; it does not itself constitute a renewable-generation source.
Statement 3 is Correct: The proposed allocation is about ₹1.36 lakh crore for intra-state transmission, compared with ₹50,000 crore for BESS.
Statement 4 is Incorrect: Curtailment means deliberately reducing electricity generation/injection despite generation being available. It can result from transmission congestion, excess generation or grid-stability requirements.