Odisha begins land scouting for ultra mega solar power plants

Govt rule says any single solar power project with capacity exceeding 500 Mw will be declared as UMSPP

The state government has started the process of identification of suitable land for implementing ultra mega solar power projects (UMSPPs).

According to the Union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), any single solar power project with capacity exceeding 500 Mw will be declared as UMSPP.

The energy department has written to all district collectors to identify suitable land for the project. “The state government is searching for 5,000 acres of land for 1,000 Mw solar power generation. I would therefore request you to locate suitable land (non-cultivable wasteland) for successful implementation of the project and intimate this department for taking up UMSPPs. Five hundred (500) acres of land in compact patch is required for generating 100 Mw solar power”, Suresh Mohapatra, principal secretary (energy) wrote to the district collectors.

Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd (GEDCOL), a fully owned subsidiary of Odisha Hydro Power Corporation Ltd (OHPC) has been formed to develop renewable energy projects under the aegis of the energy department. GEDCOL has also been declared the nodal agency for development of on-grid solar power projects in the state.

“If required, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) may go for a joint venture for the above mentioned project for degraded non-cultivable government land which has to be selected in big patches of at least 100 acres each,” the letter said.

The land will be provided by the state government and the implementing agency will then develop the park with basic infrastructure like roads and water. Grid connectivity would be provided through state transmission utility.