RANCHI: Jharkhand’s first 100 MW floating solar panel grid is awaiting clearances from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) since it received the nod from the state cabinet in April 2021.
Proposed in Getalsud Dam on the outskirts of Ranchi, the project is seen as a key component in Jharkhand’s quest for producing approximately 4,000 MW solar electricity by 2027 as the mineral-rich state turns towards renewable energy sources to light up homes and power its business and industrial establishments in coming years.
“The Jharkhand government has given all the necessary clearances for the project by the start of 2022 and the proposal is lying with the SECI. The SECI, as we have been told, is conducting an assessment on the impact the project would have on the fishermen who are dependent on the dam. Once the study is complete, the project tender will be floated,” K K Verma, chairman of Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA), told TOI .
Verma remained optimistic that the tender would be floated before 2022 comes to a close. “It will take one year to commission the solar grids and make them functional. So, we are hopeful that the project will be up and running by late 2023,” he added.
The Rs 650-crore project will be installed by the SECI. Under the power purchase agreement which has been inked between SECI and the state-run discom, Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL), the power produced from the plant will be purchased by the latter and will be sold at rates which will be decided by the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC).
The project came very close to scrapping earlier this year as the Union ministry of renewable energy insisted on implementing it on a public-private partnership mode in a bid to cut down its installation cost.
In July this year, chief minister Hemant Soren launched a new state solar policy which envisages a cumulative solar power generation of 3,000 MW through solar parks, non-solar parks, floating solar power plants and canal top units.
Besides, the state aims to produce 720 MW power through rooftop solar units, captive solar units and solar power agriculture.