GMC signs MoU with NIUA

Guntur: Guntur Municipal Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Climate Projects Preparation Facility of the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi on Thursday, for setting up a 13.5 MW captive solar power plant. The MoU was signed online by NIUA director, Dr Debolina Kundu and GMC commissioner K Mayur Ashok.

CPPF is India’s first dedicated facility to provide technical and financial advisory support to cities for preparing climate-friendly infrastructure projects under the Public-Private Partnership mode. Speaking on the occasion, Mayur Ashok said the project is being taken up with the aim of meeting the corporation’s own power requirements through solar energy.

Along with a 13.5 MW solar plant at a cost of Rs 60.75 crore, a 3 MW Battery Energy Storage System costing Rs 13.50 crore would be installed to supply power during non-solar hours, taking the total estimated project cost to Rs 74.25 crore.

He said the project will be developed in PPP mode on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain basis, and the developer will be selected through open competitive bidding from among experienced firms on the basis of the lowest tariff offered.

The concession period will be 27 years, including a 2-year construction period, and ownership of the project will rest entirely with GMC. He said the plant is expected to supply power at an estimated tariff of Rs 3 to Rs 3.15 per unit, significantly reducing the GMC’s dependence on conventional power and cutting carbon emissions. He said the GMC will work to implement the project within the stipulated time.

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The Hans India