India's largest power company, NTPC, has chosen PV developer Tata Solar Power to build a 50MW solar PV project at Rajgarh in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
The project forms part of NTPC’s stated aim of expanding its renewable energy portfolio to 1GW by 2017.
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NTPC said the project would double its current solar capacity. Once commissioned in March 2014 it is expected to generate 78.66 million kWh of energy each year, making an importing contribution towards addressing Madhya Pradesh’s annual peak energy deficit, which runs at 9.6%.
Ajay Goel, chief executive of Tata Power Solar, said: “We are proud to be partnering with NTPC on this flagship 50MW solar project to bring much needed peak power to Madhya Pradesh. This project brings together two of our core strengths in solar – market leading solar module manufacturing and competitive, high-quality engineering, procurement and construction capability.”
Tata said its technical capabilities, competitive pricing and demonstrable ability to deliver the project on time had been “instrumental” in its winning the contract from NTPC. The company operates 125MW of solar module manufacturing in Bangalore and has also competed 70MW of grid-connected PV to date.
A K Jha, NTPC’s technical director, said: “NTPC plans to broad-base generation mix through conventional and nonconventional sources of energy to ensure long-term competitiveness and mitigate fuel risk. We are committed to the principles of sustainable development encompassing the environment, the society and corporate governance.”
Since 2010, NTPC has been deploying more solar energy, and has 10MW under operation and 35MW under construction.