India’s largest solar power project developed by a single company has finally been fully commissioned.
One of its leading industrial conglomerates – Adani Enterprises – has announced that it commissioned a 648 MW solar PV project in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, reported that the power plant has started feeding electricity into the grid.
Adani Green Energy is believed to have invested a total of Rs 4,550 crore (US$680 million) in the project which was completed in a record time of eight months. In June this year, ABB India (which erected substations to connect the power plant with the grid) announced that 360 MW capacity was commissioned and linked to the grid.
The Kamuthi solar power park in Tamil Nadu will be spread across 5 different solar power projects. Power generated from park will be sold to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation through a long-term power purchase agreement with duration of 25 years. Adani Group had signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Tamil Nadu to set up the solar power park in 2015.
The power is expected to be sold at Rs 7.01/kWh (US¢10.0/kWh) which represents a huge premium to the tariffs discovered in the recently concluded solar power auctions. Bids by Indian project developers seem to have stabilised around Rs 4.70/kWh (US$7.00/kWh).
The project is now the largest solar power project implemented by a single developer in India, and perhaps the world. In India, it overtook the 151 MW solar PV project developed by Welspun Renewables in Madhya Pradesh – the project, along with other assets of Welspun Renewables have now been acquired by Tata Power Renewable Energy.
India is also host to the Charanka solar power park, located in Gujarat. The solar power park has an installed capacity of 345 MW developed by several companies, including Adani itself.
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