January 29, 2015: The Finnish utility company, Fortum has annouced the launch of its first greenfield solar project in Madhya Pradesh. The capacity of this plant is 10MW, and is commissioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) phase II.
Spread across 70 acres of area in Ujjain district, the plant will be a part of the 25 years of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed between Fortum and Solar Energy Corporation of India.
This solar plant is Fortum’s second solar energy project in the country.
Fortum has adopted a thin-film CdTe technology with more than 1,25,000 modules mounted on fixed tilt structures and 15 central invertors, which allows for better control of carbon footprint, water use and energy payback time. The 10 MW (AC) solar plant shall offset more than 18000 tonnes of CO2 emissions equivalent annually.
“Fortum believes in responsible energy production focusing on low emissions, high resource efficiency and security of supply. To deliver on our promise we focus more and more on renewable energy sources available locally and that is why we decided to focus on solar energy in India. In my view, such an approach can help India transform its energy sector and Fortum has already shown interest in contributing towards this transformation”, said Markus Rauramo, executive vice president, heat, electricity sales and solutions segment, Fortum.
“Fortum is renowned across the globe for their expertise in sustainable energy. We have started to witness a similar replication in India, with their commitment towards promoting solar energy. This is evident through their fast-track project implementation model, and it is our pleasure to congratulate them for the completion of the first project under JNNSM Phase II,” said Dr. Ashvini Kumar, managing director, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
With the 10MW solar PV plant in Madhya Pradesh, Fortum’s solar portfolio has increased to 15 MW. The company is investigating opportunities to build a platform for future growth with solar technology offering, one of the interesting solutions for sustainable and CO2-free energy production.
