Indian state plans 880MW solar park

According to chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur, the state government has confirmed six gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy potential in the Chenab Basin as well as in the Spiti region of the state. SJVNL, NTPC (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) and Indian hydropower generation company NHPC have been chosen to develop power projects in the Chenab river basin.

Jai Ram Thakur has urged the central government to prepare a plan for transporting power from the Spiti region and Chenab basin to the power grid.

SJVN is a joint venture of the government of India and Himachal Pradesh, and is mainly involved in hydropower project implementation.

The Indian government announced its renewable energy target '175GW solar by 2022' in 2015. India increased this target to 450GW at the Climate Action Summit in September 2019. 

The National Institute of Solar Energy has identified 33GW of solar energy generation potential for the state of Himachal Pradesh, a report said. Solar Energy Corporation of India has issued a request for selection to set up 15MW of grid-connected floating solar projects in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.

Infrastructure expert John Yeap at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law, said: "India has successfully commercialised solar power generation, and in so doing is well on its way to meeting its Paris Agreement commitments. Solar parks, as well as wind and energy storage, are all contributing to reducing India’s reliance on fossil fuel generation."

"However, for a country the size of India, and given the number of villages that remain to be connected to the grid, PV solar generation also plays a key role in electrifying the country without the expense of grid infrastructure, thereby delivering low cost generation quickly to those villages. Solar therefore is an all-round success story for India” he said.