The Ministry of New and Renewable Resources has received “consent” for putting up 17,418 MW of solar power plants under the Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects’’.  As many as 20 states have sent in their consent for 26 solar parks, the Ministry said today.

 

Andhra Pradesh has shown the keenest interest, wanting to put up 3,500 MW across three parks in the districts of Kadapa and Kurnool. Rajasthan, through its own utility as well as its joint ventures with IL&FS and Adani group, has wanted to put up 3,180 MW across four parks. Madhya Pradesh (2,000 MW), Telangana (1,000 MW), Himachal Pradesh (1,000 MW) and Gujarat (700 MW) are among the states that want to develop large parks.  Three states from the North East – Arunachal Pradesh (100 MW), Nagaland (60 MW) and Meghalaya (20 MW) – want to develop solar parks.

 

All states, with the sole exception of Tamil Nadu, have named the entity that would develop the solar park.

 

MNRE wants to see 25 solar parks, each with a capacity of not less than 500 MW, developed in the country, so that 20,000 MW of solar power comes in these parks. For which it has set apart Rs 4,000 crore for giving a grant of Rs 20 lakh a MW. These parks are to be set up within five years from 2014-15.

 

‘The solar park will provide a huge impetus to solar energy generation by acting as a flagship demonstration facility to encourage project developers and investors, prompting additional projects of similar nature, triggering economies of scale for constructions, technical improvements and achieving large scale reductions in GHG emissions,” says a statement from the Ministry.

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