DIMAPUR: A 20-megawatt greenfield solar power plant spread across 120 acres of land will be set up at Ganeshnagar industrial area in Dimapur in Nagaland to generate around 28 million units of power annually.
The green solar power plant envisages adding to Nagaland’s own electricity generation capacity significantly.
The state at present requires nearly 750 megawatt of power and the majority of it is purchased from hydroelectric generation plants.
The Nagaland government and a Hyderabad-based independent power producing company, Halo Energie Pvt Ltd., signed a power purchase agreement in Kohima on Thursday to set up the state’s first greenfield solar power project.
Also read: Indian missile, ‘accidentally’ fired, falls in Pakistan
The agreement was signed in presence of state’s adviser to power H Tovihoto Ayemi and principal secretary (Power) KD Vizo.
The green power project will be set up at a cost of Rs 120 to Rs 130 crore, and its duration, as per the agreement, will be 25 years, a release said.
It said the power produced will be injected into the substation located in the Ganeshnagar industrial area, which will, in turn, churn other industries/activities.
This green power will also be a stepping stone for the Nagaland government in fulfilling the renewable purchase obligations compliance, as the state currently has zero solar generation, and is unable to comply with the solar renewable obligation, which is liable to be penalised under the Electricity Act.
Also read: Manipur: PLA rebels injured in gunbattle with security forces
The project will be using mono/polycrystalline solar panels to generate power. Central Grid inverters will be used to convert the DC power produced from the panels into AC and then stepped up to grid level voltage for smooth synchronisation.
The company has started the initial land survey and design process of the project. The execution of the project is scheduled to start by the middle of this year and will take close to eight months to commission.
It is expected to create employment opportunities for both local skilled and unskilled workers.
Adviser Ayemi said some hydro projects taken up by the state government are nearing completion adding that the state will have a power generating capacity of more than 300 megawatt very soon.
Halo Energie Pvt. Ltd. director Himadeep Nallavadla said the project will be a significant addition to own generation capacity of the state.