Tamil Nadu Plans 20,000 MW Solar Plants at a Cost of Rs 70,000 Crore by 2030

Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) is planning to install a total of 20,000 megawatt (MW) capacity of solar plants at an approximate cost of Rs 70,000 crore across Tamil Nadu by 2030. Tangedco has floated a tender inviting consultants for the project.

As per the senior official of Tangedco told IANS that the tender is likely to be finalised by March. The consultant will analyse the climatic conditions, availability of raw materials, and cost before recommending ideal place for installing the plants.

By the end of the year, solar plants having a capacity of 1,000 MW each are expected to be built. The rest of the power plants will be commissioned over the next eight years. The cost of installing 1 MW of solar power plant will be approximately Rs 3.5 crore, he added.

The official said that for installing 1 MW of power, five acres of land is required and for the 20000 MW power plant, around 1,00,000 acres of land will be needed.

The Chief Minister’s office has already directed the district collectors to identify land parcels, the corporation said.

According to sources, of the State’s total installed capacity of 37,715 MW of power, 15,250 MW is through renewable sources.

Tangedco has at present small Solar power plants that are installed at rooftops and are purchasing power from private producers at Rs 7.01 per unit.

Another major necessity that Tangedco will face is the storage batteries — as at present, the corporation has batteries to store power up to 1 MW only.

The company should secure batteries to store 20,000 MW of force that will be produced once every one of the solar power plants are dispatched by 2030, the authority said.