In a step towards its plan to harness more renewable energy in the upcoming days, the State government has now proposed to set up a solar park in Aurad taluk in Bidar district. The proposed 500 MW capacity park will be set up by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL), along with the Pavagada Solar Park (in Tumakuru district) model. The project is expected to be commissioned by December 2025.
The solar park will be set up under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) Mode 8 scheme of “Development of solar parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects” (UMREPP). According to sources in KREDL, the park will be set up on around 2,000 acres of land, and KREDL had called for expression of interest from the land owners to acquire the land for lease.
“As of date, land owners from four villages in Aurad taluk – Dongargaon, Malegaon, Bhandarkumta, and Chemmigaon have expressed their interest to lease around 80 acres of land to establish the solar park,” the source said. While KREDL is in the process of obtaining consent letters from individual owners, it has been learnt that a meeting will soon be scheduled between KREDL, the District Commissioner (DC) and farmers to acquire more land for lease for the Solar Park.
The Solar Park will be developed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and currently, KREDL has invited financial proposals to select a consultancy firm to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) as well as the feasibility report. The project will also include the development of basic infrastructure like roads and streetlights in the park’s vicinity.
The MNRE, which has given its approval in principle for the project, will provide 30% of the project cost or ₹20 lakh per MW (whichever is lower) for the development of infrastructure in the park. The total cost of the project is yet to be determined. The project has been proposed by KREDL to exploit renewable energy resources for maximum benefit and support Government of India to reach the target of 500 GW by 2030.
The State government recently expressed its interest in expanding Pavagada Solar Park which currently has a 2,000 MW capacity. The government has announced an addition of 3,000 MW to the Park. Participating in THTalksBengaluru, a live chat with The Hindu, earlier this week, Energy Minister K. J. George said that the department was planning to increase the share of renewable energy in power generation in the State to 80% from the current 40%.
