Indian State of Gujarat To Host 750 MW Solar Power Park

New details have emerged about the mega sola power project planned for the western Indian state of Gujarat.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) had announced a 750 MW solar power park at Banaskantta, Gujarat. According to recent media reports the project will be developed by Gujarat Power Corporation Limited. The state government has identified around 1,500 acres of land for the solar power park.

The total cost associated with the solar power park is expected to be around Rs 4,500 crore (US$670 million). The individual projects within the solar power park are expected to be auctioned to individual developers through competitive bidding. The power generated from the project is expected to be bundled with power from thermal power projects to reduce the overall cost for end users.

Results of of another solar power park auction at Bhadla, Rajasthan yielded project developers being allocated a total of 420 MW capacity in sets of 70 MW each. The auction yielded the lowest-ever tariff bid for a solar power project in India at Rs 4.34/kWh (US¢6.5/kWh).

Gujarat already hosts India’s first solar power park at Charanka village in Patan district. The total capacity envisaged for the solar power park is 590 MW. By April 2014, 221 MW capacity was operational.

The central government plans to set up more than two dozen ultra mega solar power projects with capacities between 500 MW and 1,000 MW. The projects will be set up over a period of five years. Small solar parks of 100 MW each would be considered for small states. The government may consider solar parks of more than 1,000 MW capacity under special circumstances. The government itself has proposed four such projects with up to 4,000 MW capacity and made Rs 100 crore.