Giving a boost to non-conventional energy resource development in the State, Madhya Pradesh will generate 250 MW of electricity through solar power plants by the end of this financial year.
Work on five major solar projects is currently underway in the State under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, informed Himanshu Joshi, Additional Engineer (Solar Energy) in the Department of New and Renewable Energy.
The projects include 130 MW plant at Neemuch that is being built by Welspun Energy limited. The State Government has acquired nearly 1000 acres of land in the district for this project. Joshi informed that the plant which is being constructed at cost of Rs 10 crore will be ready to produce at its full capacity in six months. Notably, once constructed, this would be the largest solar power plant of the country.
The other solar power plants that are under construction include another 25MW plant in Neemuch that is being constructed by Precious Energy Services Private ltd, 20 MW plant in Dhar that is being constructed by Alfa Infraprop Private ltd, 25MW solar plant under construction in Rajgarh by Acme Solar Energy Private limited and 50MW solar plant by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) also in Rajgarh.
In all these power plants, the land has been provided by the State Government which has entered into Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA) with the company
regarding the utilisation of the power produced.
In addition to these, three small solar plants with a generating capacity of 2MW are already operational in Rajgarh. These plants have been established under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
Notably, the State Government had announced a Solar Energy Policy in 2012, which aimed at facilitating private investment in the sector by providing incentives like tax exemptions and subsidies.