Bio-energy projects set up by the Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA), to use pine needles for generating electricity have been unsuccessful.
In 2023, the Uttarakhand government said it was unable to meet its renewable power purchase obligations (under which a minimum percentage of the power it procured and supplied was to be from renewable energy sources)
As its expectations of power from pirul (pine needle) projects did not materialise due to unsustainable technology as of now.
It was an attempt to reduce the available pine needle load as:
Annual forest fires becoming more severe, partly from climate change accentuated drought spells.
Rising stores of organic biomass, including pine needles and agricultural residue.
The Supreme Court had earlier reprimanded the Uttarakhand in the wake of the forest fires.
Dig Deeper: Do you know about plantations of Chir Pine replacing native Oak forests in the 19th century? Also, read about sustainable Bio-energy Power plants.
