NTPC’s big solar push: to add 10,000-MW power

IN A big push towards solar power production in the country, Maharatna PSU NTPC has committed to add 10,000 MW through solar projects. Arup Roy Choudhury, CMD, presented the certificate of commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Piyush Goyal, minister of state for power and PK Sinha, power secretary, at RE-Invest 2015. The PSU...

has floated a notice inviting tenders for four solar projects of 250 MW each in Andhra Pradesh, MP, Telangana and Rajasthan and one solar project of 500 MW in Andhra Pradesh. The first 250 MW project in Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh is expected to be awarded this financial year.

Earlier, NTPC joined hands with the UP government to develop a 375-MW solar power park. The project will cost an estimated R3,000 crore. The ministry of new and renewable energy has launched a scheme for developing 25 ultra mega solar power projects, or solar parks, each with a capacity of 500 MW to 1,000 MW in five years, targeting around 20,000 MW of installed capacity.

Out of these 25 solar parks, one is in UP and the government has identified land in Jalon district.

The project will be a joint venture between NEDA, which is the nodal agency for UP, and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). NTPC will be the implementing agency.

Recently, NTPC signed a pact with the Andhra Pradesh government for developing 1,000-MW solar projects on build-own-operate basis. However, as UP has just 4.1 percent wasteland — the least in the country — it was unable to give a contiguous land parcel.

Apart from the 375-MW project in Jalon, projects of 50 MW each are soon expected to come up at Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Allahabad.

A JV with the NHPC will set up another 50-MW solar plant in Jalon.

NTPC, with an installed capacity of 43,128 MW is presently contributing about one fourth of the country’s entire power generation and plans to become a 1,28,000 MW power company by 2032.

NTPC plans to add 14,038 MW during the 12th Plan period (2012-17).

It added 1,835 MW to its portfolio last fiscal and plans to add 2,023 MW in 2014-15 and the Maharatna PSU has cash reserves of Rs.16,867.7 crore as on 31 March this year.

Earlier, giving a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative, NTPC invited expression of interest (EoI) from agencies willing to set up and develop manufacturing facilities in India. The EoI was invited for manufacturing crystalline silicon solar PV cellls and wafers required for CSI solar PV cells and ingots required for CSI solar PV cells and polysilicon required for ingots either by itself or through subsidiaries.

The govt of India is in the process of developing a far reaching strategy to boost the share of solar power in India's power sector by massive capacity addition through development of mega solar power parks across the country in near future.

In pursuance of the govt of India's initiative, NTPC, with current generating capacity of more than 43000 MW plans to make a significant foray into the field of solar PV projects in coming years.