Land identified for mega solar park

Hyderabad: A mega solar park with 1,000 MW installed capacity would come up at Gattu mandal in Mahbubnagar district for which 5,481 acres of land had already identified, Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said on
Thursday.

Replying to a question in the Assembly, he said the government was in the process of finalising the master plan with the assistance of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The government will develop the required infrastructure in the park.

Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) would provide Central assistance of Rs 20 lakh per MW for creation of infrastructure in the park. Solar power developers also came forward in a big way to set up solar plants in the area, the minister said.

The Minister also said the government had urged the Centre to allocate 20,000 solar pump sets to Telangana as the demand for the pump sets for agriculture purpose was high in the State.

The State government would provide Rs 1 lakh subsidy on each pump set and the Centre would also give 30 per cent subsidy to the beneficiary who bought the machines, he said. This year, Telangana was given only 2,000 pump sets. It may be recalled that earlier last month, IT minister KT Rama Rao said the State would be floating tenders for about 1,000-MW solar power and this would be one of the biggest solar parks in the country. It is leant that the State is keen on harnessing all sources of renewable energy to plug the energy shortfall besides meeting the growing demand.

Sources said the project will be taken up by Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation in partnership with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). SECI has reportedly given in-principle approval for the park.

Typically 1 MW requires an investment of about Rs 6 crore and five acres of land. Sources said the developers of projects would bring in their investments.

The government's role would be limited to facilitation and creation of necessary support infrastructure, according to official sources.