India’s state-ownd Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) – a leading coal producer – has this week commissioned a 130 MW solar PV plant in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The installation covers 655 acres in the Cuddalore district and is built in two 65 MW blocks, NLC said. Power produced at the facility will be sold to utility Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) at a cost of INR 5.10 ($0.08) per kW – a price first set in 2016 when NLC was awarded the project.
Construction of the solar plant was carried out by two separate EPCs, with BHEL building one block and Jakson Engineers the other, according to India’s coal secretary Susheel Kumar. BHEL used domestically produced solar modules, with Jakson Engineers going one further and selecting Indian-made solar cells and modules.
The installation accelerates Tamil Nadu’s rapidly expanding solar sector, taking cumulative PV capacity to within touching distance of 2 GW. A further 2 GW of solar projects are in the pipeline across the state.
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A minor correction in the report. NLC is not a coal producer but Lignite producer. Lignite is a different fossil fuel with lower calorific value.