Assam Aiming At Meeting 50 % of Power Demand Through Solar Energy By 2026

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the state is looking at meeting 50 per cent of its power demand through solar energy within the next four years.

He said the state will be soon generate a total of 215 MW solar power with plans afoot to increase the capacity over the next few years.

“We have set a target of meeting 50 per cent of our state’s power demand through solar energy by 2026. We will be entering into an agreement with Neyveli Lignite Corporation for a 1,000-MW project and have plans for another project of similar capacity,” Sarma said, after inaugurating a 25-MW solar plant at Lalpul in Udalguri district.

The chief minister had earlier said the present power demand in the state is 2,200 MW, out of which it is looking to generate 1,000 MW in the coming days. Assam meets most of its energy requirements by purchasing electricity from various players in the northeast and the rest of the country.

The Lalpul is the first solar power plant set up under the Assam Solar Energy Policy, 2017, in the ‘Build, Own, Operate’ model by the Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd and Azure Power.