Green power boost: SJVN’s 1,000 MW Bikaner solar project now operational

Bhupender Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), said that the company successfully started electricity production at the 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project on Thursday, marking a milestone in its journey towards strengthening the nation’s power generation capacity.

Gupta congratulated all SJVN employees and said that the success not only showcased the technical excellence of the company but also reflected the dedication and coordinated efforts of the employees, contractors and all stakeholders.

He said that the 1,000 MW Solar Power Project was located in Bikaner district of Rajasthan and the SJVN was implementing it through its wholly owned subsidiary SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL). “This project will generate 2,454.55 million units of electricity in its first year of operation and around 56,838 million units cumulatively over 25 years. The maximum usage charges have been fixed at Rs 2.57 per unit, thereby contributing to the availability of affordable green power to consumers. The generated solar power from the project would be supplied to Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand,” he added.

Ajay Kumar Sharma, Director (Personnel), SJVN, appreciated the collective efforts of all persons involved and stated that the project had been developed on 5,000 acres of outright-purchased land near Banderwala village in Bikaner, one of the highest solar-yield regions in the country. He added that the commissioning of this project contributed significantly towards the achievement of the target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 of the Union Government.

Sipan Kumar Garg, Director (Finance), SJVN, said that the project had been developed at a cost of Rs 5,492 crore and executed in the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) mode, utilising domestically-manufactured solar photovoltaic cells and modules and thereby supporting the Make in India initiative. In addition to supplying clean energy to the grid, the project would result in an estimated reduction of 27,85,077 tonnes of carbon emissions.

President Droupadi Murmu had laid the foundation stone of the project in Jaipur on January 3, 2023. The 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project had been developed under the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Scheme – Phase II, Tranche III, of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

This article has been republished from The Tribune.