Maharashtra to Tap Solar Projects on Large Dams

At the Ujani dam, the project will cover 2,000 hectares or less than 1/15th of the total 34,000-hectare area of the reservoir.

In order to shift from conventional source of energy to solar energy and to overcome the hurdles in acquiring private land for infrastructure projects, the government of Maharashtra has embarked upon the fleet for floating solar power projects on large dams in the state.

The process will be carried out from the Ujani dam, where solar panels will be installed, which would be followed by the reservoirs like Koyna and Jaikwadi.

A senior official from the Maharashtra energy department said the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MahaVitaran) had floated expressions of interest (EoI) for a 1,000 MW floating solar power project at Ujani dam. The project will be awarded through the tariff-based competitive bidding method, where the bidder quoting the lowest tariff is selected. "After Ujani, we are planning to take up work at the Koyna dam in Satara district and the Jaikwadi dam in Aurangabad," he added.

At the Ujani dam, which is one of the largest in Maharashtra, and a crucial water supply and an irrigation source for Solapur district, the project will cover 2,000 hectares or less than 1/15th of the total 34,000-hectare area of the reservoir. The bureaucrat said with a 1,000 MW capacity, this would be among the largest floating solar power project in India.

"A total of 24 parties have responded to the EoI. A six-member committee is looking into the environmental and other aspects of the project," the official said.

Source: DNA