Yuri Alemao, Leader of the Opposition in Goa. Photo: Twitter/@Yurialemao9
On March 5, the opposition Congress in Goa scoffed at the state government’s target of achieving 100% renewable energy use by 2050, saying its dismal past record showed it was a daydream.
Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conference on clean renewable energy 2023, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had on March 3 said that Goa aims to ensure 100% renewable energy use across all sectors by 2050.
In a statement, Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao termed the Chief Minister’s announcement as a daydream. “With a dismal past record, it is better not to talk about achieving the 100% renewable energy target with 15,000 jobs by 2050. The failed BJP government is daydreaming, when the people of Goa face frequent power cuts and hike in electricity tariffs. are facing the nightmare of the proposed hike,” Mr Alemao said.
Quoting a reply to a question placed in the state legislative assembly, the Congress leader said, “The reply revealed that Goa generated only 33.344 MW of solar power till November 30, 2022, against the national cumulative target of 175.” GW against the target of 358 MW set to be achieved.
“The Chief Minister has set a new target of 150 MW with 500 jobs in the next two years, which is completely unrealistic,” he said. Yuri Alemao further alleged that the state government had deliberately opted for a “slow down” approach on solar and renewable energy in order to facilitate the disastrous Tamnar project.
“If the government invests even half a penny on renewable energy generation in Goa, it will meet the electricity needs of the entire state,” he said.