Rajasthan to see four mega solar projects as the Chief Minister grants land across the state to boost local employment and self-reliance in the field of energy.
Bhajanlal Sharma, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, has granted the proposal for the allotment of more than 4780 hectares of land for solar parks. The announcement was officially made on Sunday.
According to the statement, Rajasthan Solar Park Development Company, a public enterprise under the state government, has been granted 4780 hectares to set up three solar power facilities. These 2450 MW parks will be located in Bikaner.
The government has also granted 910 hectares to another public company, NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, to build a 500 MW solar power plant in the Bhadla village of Phalodi district.
Plans are underway to establish two solar parks, each with a capacity of 1,000 MW, along with another park of 450 MW in the Bikaner district. Approval has been granted to allocate approximately 1,881 hectares in Surasar village of Pugal tehsil for the first solar park.
Similarly, 2,000 hectares will be allocated for the second solar park, with 1,194 hectares in Surasar and approximately 807 hectares in Bhanavatawala village.
900 hectares in Sardarpura village in Bikaner have been approved for the third 450 MW solar park. Rajasthan Akshay Urja Nigam will develop these solar parks in three phases under the Solar Park Scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of the central government.
The government has stated that these projects will invest 10,000 Crore INR ($1.2B USD) in the state. All four projects have been approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and will receive 33% financial grants so that they can be completed within the next two years.
Moreover, the Chief Minister sees these initiatives as a contribution to the state’s goal of achieving energy self-sufficiency. Sharma stated further that the projects will generate employment locally and stimulate economic activities in the region.
He also underscored the environmental benefits of the solar projects, predicting an annual reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 2 lakh tonnes.
The official statement also disclosed that recently, the state government has signed MoUs valued at Rs 1.5 lakh crore with Rajasthan State Electricity Generation Corporation Ltd, NTPC Ltd, NTPC Green Energy Ltd, Coal India Ltd, and NLC India Ltd. The agreements aim to establish 3,325 MW of thermal projects and 28,500 MW of renewable energy projects through joint ventures.
