Commercially exploiting large tracts of wasteland, Gujarat is set to emerge as India's largest solar power destination. The Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, will dedicate 600 MW of solar power projects to the nation on Thursday.

Currently, India's total solar power production is nearly 900 MW, two-thirds of which will be produced by Gujarat alone.

On Thursday, Mr Modi will launch India's first Solar Power Park with generation capacity of 500 MW in 3,000 acres Charanka village, Randhanpur taluka, in Patan district. Currently, it has an aggregated operational capacity of 214 MW of solar power projects commissioned at a single location. The Patan ceremony will be attended by representatives from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and the US.

The Gujarat Solar Park is an innovative concept of the State Government to promote solar installations in which it allocated developed land to the project developers with the entire infrastructure including power evacuation, roads and water for commissioning of the power project put on fast track.

Under its Solar Power Policy, the State Government had signed up memorandums of understanding for generation of 968.5 MW of solar power by December and also took an initiative to launch the Gujarat Solar Park with a vision to build it as the world's largest solar power park. Its foundation stone was laid in December 2010.

The dedication ceremony will be followed by the ‘India Solar Summit 2012: Investment and Technology Expo' to be held in Gandhinagar on April 20 and 21, said Mr. D.J. Pandian, Principal Secretary, Energy and Petrochemicals Department.

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