BS Reporter / Chennai/ Hyderabad Oct 23, 2009, 00:53 IST
The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) has issued offer letters, so far, to an Indian and two American companies for setting up solar power plants at Kadiri in Anantapur district where it has earmarked an area of 5,000 acres for allotment to solar power projects.
According to APIIC chairman and managing director BP Acharya, the three companies will together invest over Rs 3,000 crore. While US-based Sunborne will be investing Rs 2,000 crore, California-based AES Solar and Hyderabad-based Lanco Solar will be investing about Rs 600 crore each.
Participating in a panel discussion on solar and renewable energy here on Thursday, Acharya said offer letters for setting up solar projects at the place would be issued to some more companies during the three-day SolarCon India 2009, an exposition and conference on solar energy, to be held in the city from November 9.
He said that besides the 5,000 acres earmarked already, an addition 15,000 acres of land was available at Kadiri for allotment to various solar companies. The barren land was surveyed by the Tata Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) and was found to be suitable for setting up solar power units. The interested companies have also surveyed the area and felt it was suitable for their projects.
While the proposed units at Kadiri would generate solar power to cater to the needs of the domestic sector, the projects set up in the Hyderabad Fab City manufacture solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, 70 per cent of which are currently being exported. The latest company that has evinced interest in setting up a unit in the Fab City is BHEL, which will be investing Rs 500 crore.
“The Fab City alone will be generating 3 Gw (3,000 Mw) of solar power in the next 7-10 years,” Acharya said adding about seven out of the 20 companies, which had been allotted land here, would commence commercial operations in the next four years.
He said the Humburg-based Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems had agreed to set up a training and quality testing centre in the city for the benefit of solar PV manufacturers. A memorandum of understanding is likely to be signed in this regard when institute's head, Eicke Weber, visits the city to take part in SolarCon. Efforts are also on for setting up a research and development centre in collaboration with the University of Hyderabad.
Emphasising the need to give a big boost to solar power generation, Acharya said the state government had prepared a draft solar energy policy, which would be released after the central policy on this sector is announced on November 14. Hereafter, SolarCon would be an annual event to be held in the city.
Titan Energy Systems managing director, Sankar Rao, said the cost of Solar PV has already come down from $7 to $3.5 per Mw and in another 10 years the cost would be on a par with other sources of energy.
SEMI India president, Sathya Prasad, said the cost of solar power would decease with the adoption of new technologies and as the industry achieves economies of scale.
Respected M.D of APIIC Ltd.I have been working as a journalist at Hyderabad.i am planning one agri and food based industry in Adilabad district.because i am belonging to Adilabad dist. i dont know loan procedures and other.please give the advice to me sir.please my mobile no is7799563979 Qualifications.BA,BCJ,ITI ELECTRICIAN,AND NCVT.
A very happy news for Kadapa District because Birla and some other companies are planning to setup Solar power plants in Mega Industrial park,Kopparthi,Kadapa. Further two mega steel plants namely SBQ and Impex or Concord will start their projects with 9000 crore at Mega Industrial park, Kadapa very soon. The role of M.D and Chairman of APIIC is very excellent in planning to develop industrial sector and employment facility for educated unemployed persons in the District. The Chief Minister K.Rosaiah is also very dedicated to develop industrial sector in Kadapa District inview of fulfilling the ambitions of our late Chief Minister Dr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy. Any how the Kadapa District will improve in all aspects very soon. Unneccessarily some people are in doubt about Y.S.Jaganmohan Reddy's political future, no doubt he will become as youngest Chief Minister in India.
My sincere request to M.D of APIIC Ltd.is kindly carify the doubts occured in the matter of Steel plant proposed at Mega Industrial park, Kopparthi, Kadapa. Other wise so many negative News items present daily in Kadapa District tabloids in several News papers. It is advised that if there is any plan for setting up of Steel plant in Mega Industrial park kindly clarify to the press.
The role of APIIC in planing for Solar Power plants is very excellent.If APIIC succeeded in same procedure in Kadapa District also, it will helpful to Kadapa District. Kindly continue the same development in Solar power,It will helpful to the Nation also.
I have worked in the power sector for over 40 yeaes. I am used to progress in the projects as planned. But in the case of renewable and non conventional,except for a lot of talk by private agencies as well as Govt authorities, there has been hardly any progress for reaons forwarded by private agencies as lack of necessary incentives .There has been lack of power addition for many years in the confusion causing a lot of damage to industrial progress and GDP growth.
I hope the projects here will be taken up seriously and we shall see actual output.
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