Guwahati, March 2024 – The North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) has welcomed the Assam government’s recently notified ‘Assam Integrated Clean Energy Policy,’ which aims to promote renewable energy and its integration with the grid. The policy, announced on February 24, provides significant incentives for tea, coffee, and rubber consumers under the state’s power distribution company, APDCL.
NETA Advisor Bidyananda Barkakoty expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma for specifically including the tea industry in the policy. “We are extremely happy with this new policy. The tea industry can reap substantial benefits from it,” he said.
The policy addresses a long-standing demand from the tea industry by introducing an annual billing cycle for energy banking, replacing the previous monthly system. This change is crucial for the tea sector, which operates seasonally with minimal production from December to March. Under the new policy, excess solar energy generated during these off-season months can now be banked and adjusted in subsequent producing months.
Key highlights of the policy include:
- A maximum capacity of 1000 kW for grid-connected rooftop solar power plants at a single location for tea, coffee, and rubber consumers.
- Yearly energy banking for all consumers in these categories, allowing unused energy to be carried forward.
Barkakoty highlighted that the tea industry’s seasonal nature previously made solar power unproductive during off-season months. “Before this policy, there was no provision to carry forward excess energy. This problem has now been resolved,” he said, adding, “The days are not far when all tea factories in Assam will operate on 100% solar power.”
The policy aligns with Assam’s broader goals of promoting clean energy and sustainable development. It follows NETA’s earlier efforts, including a seminar on solar power implementation in the tea industry, which paved the way for stakeholder appeals to the government.
With this progressive policy, Assam’s tea industry is set to become a leader in renewable energy adoption, contributing to the state’s green energy targets and reducing operational costs for tea producers.
