In News
- Recently, The Environment Ministry has approved an exemption to the laws governing the regulation of coastal zones and has paved the way for gas-powered plants to be set up at Andaman and Nicobar islands.
About the gas plant
- The Plant:
- It will be a gas-based power plant at Hope Town in Andaman & Nicobar Islands to provide clean energy.
- The plant is expected to work on “dual fuel technology i.e., through Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or High-Speed Diesel (HSD) or single fuel (LNG)”.
- Location:
- The plant will come up in South Andaman district’s Ferrargunj tehsil.
- Developed by:
- It is to be developed by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
- National Coastal Zone Management Authority:
- The NCZMA has recommended that gas-based power plants be permitted within the Island Coastal Regulation Zone area only in islands with geographical areas greater than 100 sq. km.
- Issues:
- The Island Coastal Zone Regulation (ICRZ), 2019, limits infrastructure development on vulnerable coastal stretches.
- Significance of the move:
- To meet the energy requirement of the islanders while reducing the dependency on highly polluting sources such as conventional diesel generators (DG sets) was given prime consideration.
- There has been an increased interest in the development of the Andaman region following a policy push by the NITI Ayog.
- A proposed project is to develop the Greater Andaman region or the southernmost stretch of islands.
Source: TH
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