The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will start getting green power from the Madhya Pradesh-based Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMSL) in the next two months, the first project in the country to supply power to an inter-state open access customer.
The 750MW project in Rewa district, spread over an area of 1,590 acres, is among the largest single-site solar power plants in the world.
The DMRC had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the RUMSL to get green power from the latter to run its trains in the national capital.
Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy Principal Secretary Manu Srivastava told PTI that the DMRC would get around 25 per cent of the total power generated by the RUMSL, which would meet around 90 per cent power demand of the DMRC.
"The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will get green power from the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMS) within the next two months," Srivastava said.
He said the RUMSL has started generating 10 MW power from July 6 this year.
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"The project is estimated to meet 90 per cent of the daily electricity demand of the DMRC. Besides, it would save Rs 1,400 crore of Delhi Metro in the next 25 years," Srivastava added.
He said the DMRC would pay around Rs 3.67 for per unit of solar power, including the transmission charge.
The DMRC is currently buying power at Rs 7 per unit.
Presently, the Delhi Metro has network of about 288 Km with 208 stations which has now crossed the boundaries of Delhi to reach Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana.
The MP Power Management Company Ltd, which supplies power to the state discoms, will get 76 per cent of the power produced from the Rewa solar power plant, while the DMRC will benefit from the remaining 24 per cent.
Speaking about the operational status of the RUMSL, the top officer said that major works at the plant have been completed while fixing of solar panels is going on.
He said RUMSL will go full steam by this year-end.
"RUMSL is the joint venture between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN) which has roped in private players in setting up the plant," said Srivastava who is also the managing director of MPUVN.
Under the plant, three units of 250 MW each will produce a unit of green energy for less than Rs three, he added.
Delhi was ranked as the sixth most polluted city in the world as per the air quality data compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for mega cities.