Representative image

BHOPAL: After establishing a 750MW solar power park in Rewa — one of the biggest in the world — the government now aims to set up a 1,000MW floating solar park at Indira Sagar Dam in Khandwa.

“We have done preliminary studies and now World Bank is preparing feasibility reports. The state government is ready to procure 200MW power from the project and we are in talks with other procurers, too. If everything goes well, work should start in 7-8 months,” principal secretary, new and renewable energy, Manu Shrivastav told TOI. The cost of developing this floating solar park will be around Rs 5,000 crores, at Rs 5 crore per MW, said sources.

Indira Sagar Dam — the biggest in Asia — has a surface area of 26,710 hectare, which can accommodate a solar power park of up to 13,000MW, say sources. “There are several issues connected with this project. Land requirement is of biggest concern in case of solar parks, but projects like this solve that problem. There is a minor increase in investment (for a floating solar park), but since land is not required it is minimized,” said an official, pointing out that floating solar systems generate more power than land-based ones.

There is only one other floating power project in India — a 100MW one, run by NTPC in Andhra Pradesh. There is another 150MW plant in the pipeline at Rihand Dam, Uttar Pradesh.

Renewable energy contributes to around 20% of Madhya Pradesh’s energy needs. The 750MW solar power park in Rewa has a low tariff of just Rs 2.97 per unit, which would eventually lead to savings of around Rs 1,600 crore to the state government, and Rs 790 crore to Delhi Metro, as 24% of its power is supplied to Delhi Metro.

