After having hosted a number of solar power developers at Charanka in Patan district, Gujarat has now earmarked 1,407 hectares of land for an ultra-mega solar park at Radhanesda in Banaskantha district. The proposed solar park will be much bigger than the existing one in Patan.

Moreover, the Gujarat government will also invite bids for 200 MW solar power projects at Charanka solar park, which currently has the operational capacity of 350 MW .The planned park in Banaskantha is among the 34 such projects approved by the Union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) across the country . The Go vernment of India has designated Gujarat Power Corporation Limited as the implementing agency for the project. In fact, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has already mooted a proposal to develop 700 MW solar power projects at Radhanesda, some 150 km from Charanka.

“We are developing a 750 MW solar park with NTPC at Radhanesda village in Banaskantha,“ said energy and petrochemicals minister Saurabh Patel. “Also, another 200 MW capacity is being added to the Charanka Solar Park. It’s a myth that Rajasthan has overtaken Gujarat in solar power generation. Under the then CM and now PM Narendrabhai Modi, we pioneered solar power generation in India.“ Patel said Gujarat has also given massive thrust to rooftop solar power generation, directly involving 1 lakh households

“Gujarat’s model (in solar power) is self-reliant unlike the case in other states, which are dependent on the central government,“ Patel said. “We buy solar power from producers while other states do not have the capacity to buy .

Gujarat was the leader in generating solar and other forms of power and will be in the future too.“ GPCL has so far received Rs 33 crore from the Government of India for the project.The state government will also approach the Centre for viability gap funding (VGF). According to industry estimates, the project could see possible investment of around Rs 5,500 crore including infrastructure cost and money infused by solar power developers.

The development of this project assumes importance for Gujarat as the state has lost its number one position in solar power generation to Rajasthan. The state could add only 24 MW solar capacity during the period from June 2015 to January 2016. Rajasthan added 200 MW . As on January 2016, Gujarat comes second with total installed capacity of 1,024.15 MW , while Rajasthan has 1,234.65 MW .

Jul 20 2016 : The Times of India (Ahmedabad)