Friday, August 08, 2014: A new solar power generation project is in the pipeline for the new state of Telangana as US based solar module manufacturer and developer, First Solar Inc. (FSLR), has been planning to go ahead with the same through its Indian subsidiary.
The company’s India head, Sujoy Ghosh, is happy to inform that this project will mark their debut in India. This is a 45-Mw capacity project whereas globally their project pipeline is more than 2,500-Mw. As Ghosh said Telangana has been chosen for the project because “solar radiation is very good” in the state. Further details are not supposed to be disclosed as of now. Construction will take place at two different locations in Mahabubnagar district. Commerical operations are expected to begin by May 2015.
Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana State Limited (TSSPDCL) will receive electricity from this plant through the grid at a tariff rate of Rs 6.49 per unit for a period of 20 years. This agreement of power purchase was signed in June. Quoting Ghosh, “The state of Telangana has an energy deficit that demands immediate creation of incremental generation capacity. The excellent solar resource in the state combined with our CdTe thin film module technology that is ideally suited for hot climates like India, allows us to bid tariffs that brings solar energy pricing to parity with diesel/gas and potentially imported coal, for the consumers across all segments.” The construction is expected to begin by October and after completion the plant will produce electricity which will meet the requirements of 92,000 average homes in Telangana.
