NTPC Renewable Energy, SJVN add 120 MW to India’s renewable power capacity

Central public sector undertakings NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd and SJVN Limited on Friday announced the commissioning of two renewable power projects with a total generating capacity of 120 MW. These include NTPC-REL’s 70 MW solar power project at Chhattargarh in Rajasthan and SJVN’s 50 MW Gujrai Solar Power Station in Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh.

At full capacity the Chhattargarh Solar project will generate 150 MW of electricity while commissioning of the project is expected by March 2024. The project, which was awarded under SECI-Tranche III, is designed to generate 370 million units of energy per year, enough to provide electricity to 60,000 households. It will save 3 lakh tonnes of CO2 emissions and conserve 1,000 MMTPA of water every year. 

With this project, NTPC-REL’s installed capacity has reached 73,958 MW. In addition, it has over 6,000 MW of renewable capacity under implementation.

SJVN’s Gujrai Solar Power Station in Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh has an installed capacity of 50 MW. With the commencement of its commercial operation, the total installed power capacity of SJVN stands at 2,277 MW, with ten operational power stations.

SJVN Limited is a Mini Ratna, Category-I, Schedule ‘A’ central public sector enterprise under the ministry of power. Executed by SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL), at a cost of Rs281 crore, Gujrai Solar Power Station will generate 107 million units in the first year and an estimated to be 2,477 million units over a period of 25 years.

This solar power project of the Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA), awarded under competitive bidding process, also has one of the lowest tariff of Rs2.98 per unit. Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has also signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with SJVN.