RattanIndia turning coal supply debacle into 200MW Punjab solar prospect

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
India's domestic coal supply has historically struggled to keep up with demand. Flickr: Shashwat Nagpal

Indian conglomerate RattanIndia Power plans to use a 324 hectare site in Punjab, which was originally pegged for a thermal power plant, to build a 200MW solar PV project.

Vikram Bhambhu, representing the chairman’s office of RattanIndia, told PV Tech that during the development phase of the thermal power project in Mansa district, there were issues with the signing of a power purchase agreement due to a lack of assurance of domestically-sourced coal supply to feed the plant.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

In previous years India’s coal industry has struggled to keep up with domestic demand, even when coal imports were rising, with a significant number of operating plants reportedly only having enough coal for less than a week’s usage at the end of 2014.

RattanIndia had already won 58MW of solar power tendered by the Punjab Electricity Development Authority (PEDA), but it now intends to use the whole 324 hectare site to install a total 200MW PV plant.

Bhambhu said: “It depends on how much land the government will provide us. Once we get required clearances we will go ahead with it and we look forward to establishing more solar plants there.”

Earlier this year, RattanIndia, through its solar unit Yarrow Infrastructure, was awarded 70MW solar capacity in a solar park in Rajasthan at tariff of INR4.36/kWh (US$0.064), which is just higher than the record low solar tariff in India at the same solar park.

Bhambhu declined to comment on how Yarrow planned to deliver the project at this low tariff.

The firm also has solar capacity awarded in Madhya Pradesh.

Read Next

August 28, 2025
Indian solar manufacturing firm INA Solar has broken ground on its fourth 4.5GW cell production plant in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh.
August 26, 2025
Jakson Engineers is investing over INR80 billion (US$912.5 million) to set up a 6GW integrated solar module, cell, and wafer plant.
August 26, 2025
India installed 14.3GW of new utility-scale solar capacity in the first half (H1) of 2025, marking a 49% increase year-on-year.
Premium
August 22, 2025
Indian PV manufacturers are facing a double hit from US trade tariffs and anti-dumping measures on products sold in America. Shreeyashi Ojha reports on how these are impacting their business models.
August 21, 2025
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), through its renewable energy arm NTPC Green Energy, has commissioned 212.5MW of solar capacity at its 1.25GW Khavda-I project. 
August 19, 2025
Indian renewable energy company SAEL Industries has signed two 880MW power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the Indian states of Gujarat and Punjab.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines