From pv magazine India
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has approved plans to set up a 4.75 GW solar park in cooperation with state-run power producer NTPC in the Indian state of Gujarat.
The solar park will be India’s largest upon completion. It will be located near the village of Khavada in the Rann of Kutch, a vast salt marsh.
NTPC Renewable Energy, a unit of NTPC, has secured approval from the MNRE to set up the solar park under the Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park Scheme. NTPC Renewable Energy also plans to generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale at the site.
The new PV capacity will be part of a massive 30 GW hybrid renewable energy park coming up in Kutch, with an investment of about $20 billion. Upon completion, the 30 GW site will be the world’s largest hybrid renewable energy park. It will stretch across more than 72,600 hectares in Kutch, which is an area as big as Singapore, according to an earlier press release by MNRE.
NTPC, a coal-reliant power producer, aims to build 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032. Currently, it has an installed capacity of 66 GW across 70 power projects, with an additional 18 GW now under construction.
The power producer recently commissioned India’s largest floating solar plant, a 10 MW (AC) facility, on a reservoir owned by the Simhadri Thermal Power Plant in Andhra Pradesh. An additional 15 MW (AC) will be commissioned by August.
In addition, a 100 MW floating solar project is now nearing completion on a reservoir owned by the Ramagundam Thermal Power Plant, in the state of Telangana.
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A good part of the Rann of Kutch is a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve. That does not rule out large RE projects, but does require sensitive planning for coexistence.