NTPC commissions 45 MW capacity at Rajasthan solar project

State-run power giant NTPC today announced commissioning of 45 MW solar capacity at Bhadla in Rajasthan taking the total installed capacity of the project to 160 MW.

"The 45 MW of Bhadla solar power project of NTPC in Rajasthan has been commissioned today. With this, the installed capacity of Bhadla solar power project has become 160 MW and that of NTPC's solar power projects has become 520 MW," a senior official said.

Last month, NTPC had commissioned 115 MW capacity out of the 260 MW Bhadla solar power project. NTPC has planned capacity addition of about 1,000 MW through renewable resources by 2017.
 

The official further said that with commissioning of this additional solar capacity of 45 MW at Bhadla, the total installed capacity of NTPC Group has reached to 48,188 MW,

NTPC has 10 solar PV projects. In Dadri it is of 5 MW, The Andaman & Nicobar project is of 5 MW, Ramagundam (10 MW), Talcher Kaniha (10 MW), Faridabad (5 MW), Unchahar (10 MW), Rajgarh (50 MW), Singrauli (15 MW), Anantapuram (250 MW) and Bhadla (160 MW).

NTPC intends to become a 130-GW company up to 2032 with a with diversified fuel mix and a 600 billion units company in terms of generation. The company wants share of renewable energy (including hydro) to be 28 per cent.

Last year in January, solar power tariff had dropped to a new low with Finland-based energy firm Fortum Finnsurya Energy quoting Rs 4.34 a unit to bag the mandate to set up a 70 MW solar plant under NTPC's Bhadla solar park tender.

Last month, lower capital expenditure and cheaper credit had pulled down solar tariff to a new low of Rs 2.97 per unit in an auction conducted for 750 MW capacity in Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh.

In November 2015, the tariff had touched Rs 4.63 per unit following aggressive bidding by US-based SunEdison, the world's biggest developer of renewable energy power plants.

NTPC has total installed capacity of 48,188 MW from its 19 coal based, 7 gas-based, 10 solar PV, one hydro and 9 subsidiaries/Joint Venture power stations.