NHPC Secures 200 MW Solar Power Project in Gujarat

NHPC, a government-owned hydro power giant, announced on Friday its successful bid to undertake a 200-megawatt (MW) solar power project in Gujarat. This project is slated to be established within the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation’s (GSECL) 1,125 MW RE Park situated in Khavda.

Operating on a build-own-and-operate basis, NHPC anticipates the project's development cost to hover around ₹847 crore. The procurement process, facilitated by GUVNL through an e-reverse auction held on February 2, culminated in NHPC being issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) on March 14.

Securing the project at a tariff rate of ₹2.66 per unit, NHPC envisions completing the endeavor within a span of 18 months. Once operational, the project is expected to yield approximately 473 million units (MU) in its inaugural year, with a cumulative output of roughly 10,850 million units over a 25-year period.

Meanwhile, on March 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for NHPC's 2,880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Project located in Arunachal Pradesh. This hydropower venture aims to annually generate 11,223 MU of clean energy, to be integrated into the Northern Grid. Scheduled for commissioning in February 2032, the project boasts a construction timeline of 108 months.

In terms of employment opportunities, the Dibang Multipurpose Project is anticipated to offer direct employment to 500 individuals during the construction phase and 300 during operation. Moreover, it is projected to generate indirect employment for approximately 5,000 and 500 people during the construction and operation phases, respectively.

HBL