India’s largest floating solar power plant to be commissioned by NTPC in May | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

India’s largest floating solar power plant to be commissioned by NTPC in May

Mar 11, 2021 02:44 AM IST

The NTPC southern region has taken up setting up of solar power plants of the total capacity of 450 MW. Of this, 217 MW plants would be floating on water bodies.

India’s largest floating solar power plant of 100 MW capacity, belonging to the National Thermal Power Corporation, is expected to be commissioned at Ramagundam in May this year, NTPC southern region executive director CV Anand said on Wednesday.

The country's largest floating solar power plant of 100 MW capacity is expected to be commissioned at Ramagundam by the National Thermal Power Corporation in May this year, (HT PHOTO).
The country's largest floating solar power plant of 100 MW capacity is expected to be commissioned at Ramagundam by the National Thermal Power Corporation in May this year, (HT PHOTO).

Addressing a virtual press conference in Hyderabad, Anand said the floating solar photo-voltaic project would be spread over 450 acres on the water surface of Sri Ram Sagar Project reservoir. This will be the largest floating solar plant in the country in a single location as of now. The total cost of the project would be 423 crore, including GST, he said.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“NTPC is utilising the water bodies and huge reservoirs to set up these floating solar units, because it requires huge expenditure for ground-mounted plant. For setting up one MW solar photo-voltaic plant on ground, we require five acres,” he said.

The NTPC has successfully completed pilot projects at Kayamkulam (100 KWH) capacity and Kawas (1 MW). “Now, we are implementing large floating solar plants,” the executive director said.

The NTPC southern region has taken up setting up of solar power plants of the total capacity of 450 MW. Of this, 217 MW plants would be floating on water bodies. Apart from the 100 MW plant at Ramagundam, the corporation is setting up 92 MW floating unit at Kayamkulam gas plant in Kerala and a 25 MW unit at Simhadri power plant in Visakhapatnam.

“We are actually slightly delayed in implementing these floating solar projects due to the Coronavirus pandemic,” Anand said.

Regarding other solar power projects of the NTPC southern region, he said a 5 MW solar plant was set up at Port Blair Solar in Andaman & Nicobar Islands on March 30, 2012, that catered to the power needs of the Union territory; a 10 MW solar plant was commissioned at Ramagundam December 31, 2013 and the phase I- of the 250 MW (5X50 MW) Ultra Mega solar project was commissioned at N P Kunta village of Anantapur district in Andhra.

In addition, the NTPC is setting up a 230 MW ground mounted solar power plant in Ettayapuram near Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu by next year. On an average, the cost of setting up solar plant is around 4 crore per MW, he said.

Explaining about other ventures of the NTPC southern region, the executive director said it was in the process of commissioning 2x800 MW coal fired thermal power project at Ramgundam in Telangana. The phase I unit of 800 MW will be commissioned by January 2022 and the phase II of 800 MW by March 2022.

NTPC Southern region has total installed capacity of about 9,125 MW, out of the corporation’s total capacity of 64,880 MW in the country.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On