Adani Power to invest Rs 3,000 cr in solar power

Adani Power plans to invest Rs 3,000 crore in two years to add 160 megawatt (Mw) solar power to its exisisting capacity.

The company, set to commission its first 40-Mw solar power plant in Bitta village of Kutch district, Gujarat, has plans to expand it to 100 Mw.

“The expansion will begin now, and could be done in a few months. After that, we plan to start work on our Rajasthan plant,” said a company official, requesting anonymity. The power generated from the Gujarat plant will be evacuated through a transmission line, located 20 km away from the site.

The company is planning to set up another 100-Mw plant near Jaisalmer. This project could be commissioned by 2013-14. The official said the total investment in 160 Mw would be Rs 3,000 crore, with an investment of Rs 18 crore per Mw.

The company did not respond to queries on the investment. Adani’s entire capacity under execution and construction is coal based. It operates 3,300 Mw and uses imported coal from Indonesia.

Adani is expected to commission two more units of 660 Mw at Mundra by March to achieve the full capacity of 4,620 Mw, making it the largest thermal power plant at a single location. It also claims to have commissioned 1,320 Mw at Tiroda by the end of this financial year, enhancing the operational capacity to 6,000 Mw.

Meanwhile, the company has been shortlisted to develop four projects worth Rs 19,000 crore with a total capacity of 3,792 Mw in Kosovo, South Africa and Nigeria, sources said. Adani Power is also in the race to develop a 600 Mw plant in South Africa, besides two other projects in Nigeria, having a total capacity of 1,992 MW, sources said.

The company spokesperson could not be reached for comments.