Govt. mulls shore-to-ship power initiative expansion
- The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways plans to expand its shore-to-ship power infrastructure and revise policy guidelines so that all ports in India
- both major and non-major - have the infrastructure to supply shore power to large EXIM (export-import) vessels, coastal vessels, and harbour craft.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- The roadmap under discussion includes possible financing schemes with the help of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC).
- A desirable prerequisite is bringing on board the Ministry of Power and State discoms to secure distribution licences for the ports.
- In shipping parlance, shore power refers to the power supply given to a boat, ship, or any maritime vessel when it is docked at the port.
- India is pushing for a mechanism wherein ships can plug for power rather than operating on diesel gen-sets when at the berth.
- This will not only save fuel but also reduce vessel emissions in the port area.
Regulatory alignment
- “As per the Electricity Act 2003, commercial power transmission, distribution, and trading is not permitted by any entity other than discoms.
- So, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (PSW) has to align with the Power Ministry to allow ports to engage in commercial power distribution
Transition Planning
- Similarly, detailed technical discussions are being suggested across stakeholders, including the Directorate-General of Shipping, the Indian Ports’ Association, the Power Finance Corporation, and others.
- This collaborative effort aims to finalise the modalities for a scheme that the NBFC (in this case, PFC) can fund.
Prelims Takeaways
- PSW
- Electricity Act 2003