MNRE seeks consultants for the global supergrid plan
July 6 is the last date to submit proposals for the ambitious ‘one sun, one world, one grid’ plan that aims at seamless sharing of renewable energy resources among countries for mutual benefits and global sustainability. The program has been taken up by the Ministry with assistance from the World Bank.
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has invited consulting proposals for its ambitious globally interconnected power grid plan called ‘one sun, one world, one grid’ (OSOWOG).
Through the OSOWOG initiative, India plans to build a global ecosystem of interconnected renewable energy resources that are seamlessly shared for mutual benefits and global sustainability.
“The vision behind the OSOWOG mantra is “The Sun Never Sets” and is a constant at some geographical location, globally, at any given point of time,” the RFP said.
“With India at the fulcrum, the solar spectrum can easily be divided into two broad zones, viz, far East, which would include countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia, etc, and far West, which would cover the Middle East and the Africa Region,” it added.
The scope of work for the project consultancy includes developing a long-term vision, implementation plan, roadmap and institutional framework for implementing the OSOWOG plan.
Plan
The initiative is planned across three phases.
The first phase will include Indian Grid’s interconnection with Middle East, South Asia and South East Asian (MESASEA) grids to share solar and other renewable energy resources for meeting electricity needs including peak demand.
The second phase will include interconnection of MESASEA grid with the African power pools to share solar and other renewable energy power of the countries located in solar and renewable energy rich areas.
The third and the final phase will be about global interconnection to achieve the OSOWOG vision.
“An interconnected grid would help all the participating entities in attracting investments in renewable energy sources as well as utilizing skills, technology and finances. Resulting economic benefits would positively impact poverty alleviation and support in mitigating water, sanitation, food and other socioeconomic challenges,” the RFP said.
“Further, the proposed integration would lead to reduced project costs, higher efficiencies and increased asset utilization for all the participating entities,” the RFP added.