SJVN limited secures 1,352 MW Solar projects in Maharashtra

SGEL’s significant milestone under Mukhya Mantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0 contributes to sustainable power growth.

SJVN Limited, a Mini Ratna, Category-I, and Schedule ‘A’ Central Public Sector Enterprise under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Government of India, has received Letters of Award for the development of Solar Power Projects with a capacity of 1,352 MW in Maharashtra. These projects will be developed through SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SJVN, in four districts of the state: Nashik, Solapur, Ahmednagar, and Pune. Geeta Kapur, Chairperson & Managing Director of SJVN, has informed that these solar projects will be developed under the Mukhya Mantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0, initiated by the Government of Maharashtra.

The “Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana” was introduced in June 2017, wherein decentralized solar projects with capacities ranging from 2 MW to 10 MW would be installed within a 5 km radius of agriculture-dominated sub-stations. The scheme was later revamped as Mukhymantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0 (MSKVY 2.0), with a target of achieving 30% feeder solarization by 2025 through the implementation of 7,000 MW decentralized solar projects in a fast-track mode, thereby providing daytime electricity supply to farmers.

SJVN received the Letters of Award in the presence of the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, Director (Finance) of SJVN, Akhileshwar Singh, and CEO of SGEL, Ajay Singh, at an event held in Mumbai on 7th March 2024. Officials from the state government, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd., and SGEL were also present.

The total investment for the development of solar power projects with a capacity of 1,352 MW will be approximately ₹ 7,436 crores. This marks SGEL’s first contribution towards the PM-KUSUM Scheme. These projects will be eligible for Central Financial Assistance, up to a maximum of 30 percent of the project cost. SGEL secured these projects through a competitive bidding process in a tender floated by MSEB Solar Agro Power Limited, Maharashtra. The total capacity of the tender was 7000 MW, and SGEL participated for 1,500 MW – 500 MW in Round One and 1,000 MW in Round Two. The aforementioned scheme has been launched for the implementation of the largest Feeder-Level Solarisation Scheme in India under component C of the PM-KUSUM Scheme. Looking ahead, SJVN aims to grow by setting ambitious targets to achieve the shared vision of 25,000 MW installed capacity by the year 2030 and 50,000 MW installed capacity by the year 2040. This shared vision has been formulated in line with the Government of India’s commitment to having 50 percent of the total power capacity from non-fossil-fuel-based energy sources by the year 2030.