'Things Will Change So Fast, It'll Be Beyond Your Imagination'

Few ministers are as enthused about a green economy as Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for road transport and highways, shipping and water resources.

- Zia Haq

He recently jolted auto companies by saying they must move to an all-electric future or else he would force them to. In a conversation with Zia Haq, Gadkari talks about renewable energy, electric cars and waterway mobility. Excerpts from an interview:

India’s commitments at the 2015 Paris climate deal show the government wants India to be one the greenest economies globally. It’s ambitious. But is it achievable?

I will tell you what the government’s thinking is. There are two things you need to consi­der. One is the issue of green energy and then there is the whole question of pollution related to energy creation. Gradually, we will be ­going towards green power because ethics, economy, ecology and environment are important and related. Environment has been affected so badly that it has impacted public health. Now, coal plants are anyway a polluting thing, but the bigger problem is coal plants older than 25 years. These plants have a PLF (plant load factor) of 40 per cent. Let’s say if the electric cost (per unit of power) of newer plants is Rs 3, then the older plants have a cost of Rs 4.50. The older plants consume more coal and have a greater pollution rate. So, we need to close all power plants older than 25 years from an environment point of view. Alongside, we are moving towards green energy holistically.

Electric vehicles, your pet project, are a big part of this green push. What’s the status?