Gujarat Govt Confident of meeting demand of CWG 2030 through renewable energy

 

Gujarat Govt Confident of meeting demand of CWG 2030 through renewable energy 

Ahmedabad secured the hosting rights for the Commonwealth Games 2030 last year and has begun coordinated planning across power, transport, urban infrastructure and hospitality. Preparations are centred around the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in Motera, anchored by the Narendra Modi Stadium, which is being developed as a permanent sports district with supporting arenas and facilities for long-term use beyond the Games.

Ashvini Kumar, principal secretary, Energy and Petrochemicals Department, said Gujarat was confident of meeting the full power demand of the Games through renewable sources

The Games you are hosting in 2030 are not simply the next edition of the Commonwealth Games. They will mark 100 years of Commonwealth sport. 

The Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad is likely to be powered entirely by renewable energy, with no dependence on fossil-fuel-based electricity, he said..

This signals the state’s intent to use the Games as a demonstration of large-scale clean energy capability.

The remarks were made during a panel discussion at the Commonwealth Connect Forum held in Ahmedabad. (Britannica website)

“When we host the Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad, 100% of our energy requirements will be met by renewable sources only. We are investing heavily in upgrading our grid network and transmission systems, and we are moving from two hours of battery storage to four hours of battery storage. 

We are very sure that we will not need any fossil-fuel-based electricity supply when the Games are held,” Kumar said.

The remarks were made during a panel discussion at the Commonwealth Connect Forum held in Ahmedabad, hosted by India Global Forum in partnership with the Government of Gujarat and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation at Veer Savarkar Sports Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

The forum coincided with a visit by a West Midlands delegation led by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, aimed at building long-term economic partnerships around infrastructure, clean energy, manufacturing and skills.

He said Gujarat already had adequate renewable generation capacity and remained a power-surplus state exporting electricity to other parts of the country. 

He said the Commonwealth Games would also serve as a global showcase of India’s clean energy ambitions and operational capacity.

“We would like to demonstrate to the world through the Commonwealth Games that we can deliver large international events entirely on renewables, and that we can do even better if we bag the Olympics in 2036,” he said.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games generated over £1.2 billion for the UK economy with half of that being delivered within the region itself and it created over 22,000 jobs, with half of those being in the West Midlands, said Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands.

“And we sold over 1.5 million tickets. We delivered on time and under budget, and we reinvested over £70 million back into the community projects after the Games were completed. But the numbers, of course, only tell part of the story, and they never tell the full story.

 The real legacy of the Games lives in the lives of the community volunteers. It was the activities that found the experience not only great but helped them build their own self-confidence and self-belief. It inspired young athletes from across the country,” he said.

“The Games you are hosting in 2030 are not simply the next edition of the Commonwealth Games. They will mark 100 years of Commonwealth sport. A century shared in competition, a shared history and shared connections across continents,” Parker said at the event.

He said the Commonwealth network offered Gujarat access to a large and young economic bloc.

The Commonwealth is a growth network of 56 countries, 2.7 billion people and over $13 trillion in combined GDP. In a fragmented global order, trusted networks are assets. Commonwealth Connect is about activating that network and ensuring Gujarat converts global attention into structured economic advantage.

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