On track to commission 100 MW solar proj in Rajasthan: RPower

Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Power today said it is on track to commission a 100 MW solar project in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district by March next year.

"Pre commissioning activities have commenced (at the 100 mega-watt) Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district," the company said in a statement.

The project is the world's largest CSP project based on CLFR technology.

The 100 MW CSP plant is being built at a cost of Rs 2,100 crores and is located adjacent to the 40 MW solar photovoltaic project commissioned by the company last year.

"The project is all set to be commissioned by March 2014," the statement said.

Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Power, had won the CSP project in December 2010 in an international competitive bidding conducted by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (a subsidiary of NTPC) under the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.

The project is the largest investment undertaken by any private sector entity in CSP Technology in India.

 It is being financed through debt from multilateral agencies like Asian Development Bank (ADB), Export Import Bank of US, Financerings Maatschappu Voor Ontwikkelingslanden NV (FMO), Netherlands and Axis Bank.

"The innovative CFLR Technology for the project is provided by Areva Solar of France and is simple in design, having minimal environmental spill, lesser land requirement and is more efficient than other solar thermal technologies available," the statement added.