MEIL commissions 5 solar plants in Maharashtra having capacity of 19 MW

Infrastructure company MEIL on Saturday said it has commissioned five solar plants in Maharashtra having a combined capacity of 19 megawatt (MW).

The plants were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) said in a statement.

"MEIL has commissioned five solar power plants with a total capacity of 19 MW under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan (PM KUSUM) scheme across Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Solar Plants and Dedicated to the Nation," it said.

The five solar plants are at Shambhaji Nagar (3 MW), Nanded (5MW), Kolhapur (3MW), Akola (3MW), and Buldhana (5 MW) in Maharashtra.

These power generated from green plants will provide uninterrupted electricity to farmers for the cultivation of their lands that will reduce the burden of cost of electricity bills. The excess power will be supplied to the grid.

As part of the PM-KUSUM scheme, MEIL said it has to execute the 404 advanced solar plants across nine districts of Maharashtra with a total capacity of 1,880 MW, M Sridhar, Chief Operating Officer (Renewable Energy), MEIL, said.

"Farmers get power for irrigation at night. This not only causes them inconvenience but also results in wastage of water as pumps are left running once switched on. Sometimes farmers lost their lives due to snake bites and current shocks. Providing solar panels for irrigation under PM-KUSUM would result in day-time reliable power to farmers making irrigation easier for them," he said.

PM-KUSUM, an initiative launched by the Government of India in 2019, aims to promote solar energy in agriculture, reduce farmers' dependency on diesel pumps, and increase their income through surplus electricity generation.