SJVN Mulls Building 700 MW Solar Power Plant in Kanpur

State-owned Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) is mulling over the development of a 700 MW solar power project in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur town.

According to reports, SJVN has inked a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) where it will be investing approximately Rs 3400 crore in the new solar project. The green electricity produced from the solar power project will be available to the industries of the state at economical prices.

The renewable energy company wants to secure 3,000 acres of land to install the solar power plant. Its aim is to get the land around Ghatampur town and in its surroundings.

According to SJVN, the solar power project will generate employment opportunities for nearly 300 persons.

The Uttar Pradesh Government has recently released the new ‘Uttar Pradesh Solar Energy Policy 2022’ that aims to add 22-GW of solar power in the coming five years with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore in the solar sector.

The state wants to tap 14,000 MW of capacity through solar parks, 4,500 MW through residential rooftop installations, 1,500 MW through non-residential rooftop installations and 2000 MW through PM-KUSUM Scheme.

Uttar Pradesh is one of the high solar irradiance states but the solar power generation stands a mere 2-GW plus as of today which is far behind Karnataka or Gujarat.

SJVN is already building two 75 MW solar projects in UP’s Jalaun district. The government company is also building a 50 MW solar plant in Akbarpur that lies in Kanpur rural.

SJVN has a present portfolio of more than 42,000 MW and wants to achieve its Shared Vision of 5000 MW by 2023, 25000 MW by 2030 & 50000 MW installed capacity by 2040. It is a Mini Ratna company currently implementing or operating power projects in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, and Arunachal Pradesh in India besides neighboring countries of Nepal and Bhutan.